There are lies, damned lies, and then there’s “balance”

You’ve probably noticed I have a penchant for car metaphors when I get worked up about the Republicans and the economy.  (So does the President.)  So, naturally, I got a kick out of a good one from John Cole over at Balloon Juice.

For some reason, PolitiFact insists that the Democrats are lying when they say the Republicans want to get rid of Medicare, even though the Republicans have boasted that this is what they intend to do and have even voted to do it.  No matter how often it’s been pointed out by smart people like Paul Krugman (and me) that PolitiFact is just plain wrong, PolitiFact has stuck with their story.  Recently they listed the Democrats’ truthful warning as a finalist for lie of the year.

Which sent John to his garage to haul out:

The PolitiFact stuff really is amazing, especially for a group that normally does good work. Here’s what is happening:

America turns off the lights, goes to bed, leaving their Mercedes in the driveway. While we sleep, the Republicans sneak into the car, drive it off, and sell it, but they keep the Mercedes hood ornament. They then split the proceeds between their rich buddies, and go out and find a Ford Pinto up on cinderblocks in a field, with the grass growing through the floorboard. They place that in the driveway, cleverly glue the Mercedes ornament onto the front of the Pinto, and sneak off into the night. The next morning, America and Democrats are screaming- “What the hell happened to my car.” Republicans say- “What are you talking about, there is your Mercedes right there, we just modernized it and fixed it up a bit for long-term financial stability,” and point at the Pinto.

Then, the rocket scientists at Politifact drive by to take a non-partisan look at things, see the Mercedes symbol on the front of the car, and tell us all we’re lying about the Republicans stealing our Mercedes.

As Krugman says in the post John links to, if this is how PolitiFact’s going to handle things, by reaching for “balance,” voters can’t count on any help from the rest of the political media to deal with the onslaught of Republican lies.

_____________________

From Lance’s wrecking yard:

Car Talk with Congressman Paul Ryan.

The Crash.

Comments

[Earl Bockenfeld]

Then they notice that the hood ornament has fallen over, point at it and declaim

“LOOK WHAT OBAMA AND THE DEMOCRATS DID TO YOUR CAR!”

The other appalling aspect of Politifact’s lie of the year contest is the abdication of the impartial service they are ostensibly trying to provide. Opening lie of the year up to a survey let’s the people who authored the lies decide which lie is worst. A Roveian figure could easily pay trolls to repeatedly enter the survey and vote for one of the Democratic statements as lie of the year. Then when that statement is chosen, all of the news outlets will report it as the “lie of the year” and that will be that. Then talking heads can say the medicare statement was less truthful than Kyl’s admittedly “not intended to be factual” statement about Planned Parenthood and they’ll have Politifact’s official stamp of approval.

[Earl Bockenfeld]

I'm shocked, I'm shocked!! That Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is trying to get his supporters to stuff the ballot box (voter fraud!!!) at PolitiFact to make the "biggest lie of the year" the actual true claim that the Ryan plan would end Medicare, as we know it.

But the dishonest House Budget Committee chairman couldn't leave well enough alone; he had to send out an email urging people to vote for the non-lie as "Lie of the Year" — an email that further lied about Medicare while accusing Democrats of lying about Medicare.

And most of us understand that the GOP always lie when they say they aren't lying, or when they say that Democrats are.

But you have to be aware that after lying about lying they lie about not lying about the lies they lied.

Bottom line: In an email urging people to vote in PolitiFact's online "Lie of the Year" poll, Paul Ryan made a claim that PolitiFact itself has previously debunked. Give Ryan this much: What he lacks in honesty, he makes up for in audacity.