This week’s two GOP presidential debates have highlighted a disconcerting rhetorical trend: The Republican candidates cannot seem to distinguish fact from fiction when it comes to addressing the person and policies of President Barack Obama. The candidates’ misrepresentation has gotten so out-of-control that several news organizations now routinely publish fact-checking reports following each debate.
Of the four remaining Republican presidential hopefuls, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum seem to be the most egregious in their misrepresentation of the president. In wrongly characterizing him, they have created a straw man character who they can attack and try to separate themselves. His name is “Barack Obama.” He looks like the president, but the beliefs and actions of the GOP’s fictional man greatly differ from the views and actions of the man who currently holds office.
Take, for example, Santorum’s recent claim that the president’s administration has actively sought to instruct young African-American girls to forego marriage. Santorum himself must be heavily in favor of teaching young girls about marriage if he is bringing such horrific behavior to life. However, when Santorum said that Obama’s administration promoted “not [telling young girls] what the good choice is” he was talking about “Barack Obama," the anti-American, anti-marriage tyrant that is, in the GOP’s fictional world, ruining the United States’ dearest institutions. In reality, Obama’s administration had actually suggested that abstinence-only education didn’t work, a claim supported by extensive research. However, that Obama tried to make the education of at-risk teens more effective did not fit in with the GOP narrative. So, Santorum twisted the facts and created an “Obama” that actually attempted to prevent teens from getting married.
Similarly, Newt Gingrich assaulted Obama’s economic abilities when he described him as a “food-stamp president” earlier this week. Gingrich’s “Obama” would prefer to step on the downtrodden and keep them down. He would not want to create jobs, and, indeed, has put no effort into a job creation bill. Gingrich, as opposed to his fictional version of “Obama” would put young poor Americans to work — as janitors. Of course, Gingrich must have overlooked that the real President Obama ferociously campaigned for his own “American Jobs Act.”
Mitt Romney continued the attack on Obama as a financial decision-maker when he made several dubious claims during Monday’s debate. The claim that stands away from the pack was that the Health Care Law would add “another $1 trillion of debt” to the nation’s ledger. Here, Romney crafts a fictional “Obama” — one who is an anti-business, financially non-savvy community organizer, whereas Romney himself is a job creating financial whiz. It is a storyline that Romney’s campaign has pushed throughout his presidential run. Meanwhile, the facts show that repealing Obama’s health care law would actually add to the national deficit over the course of a decade. But a financially sound health care law is not something that “Obama” could enact. So, the GOP frontrunner has decided to ignore the numbers the Congressional Budget Office put forth. Instead, he’s decided to continue with the GOP driven narrative that “Obama’s” policies add to the United States’ economic woes.
I enjoy stories as much as any — and probably more than most. However, I would prefer that fiction and politics remain separate. If the GOP candidates hope to attain success against Obama, and not “Obama," they should stop telling tales. Instead, the country would be better served if our presidential candidates confronted one another in an open and honest fashion — as long as it’s not too inconvenient to the nation’s political storytellers.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Discussion
Sounds like politics as usual. Whether it is elephant or donkey dung, we must sift through it to find truth...and elephants and donkeys have been making dung a long time!
Great article. Though I must agree with the previous commenters - authority figures manipulating the truth to further their own agendas is nothing new.
http://www.zeitgeistthefilm.com/
Enough of the lies.
Ron Paul 2012
It's politics. Lying has gone both ways on each side of the aisle.
It would be great if there was open and honest discussion among political candidates, but unfortunately most don't appear willing to engage this way. The fabrications that surround President Obama have ranged from outrageous to just plain ridiculous. Let's hope the GOP suddenly gets some scruples.
This is nothing new. GOP contenders are perverting and manipulating aspects of President Obama's record, but that's politics - dirty politics, maybe - but politics regardless.
The GOP contenders can hem and haw and bash whatever straw man they have erected, but I think it will be a different story when the eventual nominee has to spar with Obama in debates.
Awesome!
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Can I ask you an honest question - why does this bother you? Paul Ryan has spent untold hours trying to figure out fiscal solutions, and he was instantly derailed with a video that showed him pushing an old lady off a cliff:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGnE83A1Z4U
The President does minimal work, reportedly leaving his office at 4 PM daily, and for the past several months when not on vacation, invests large amounts of time fundraising, campaigning, and driving across "fly over" country in giant black Canadian-made buses. He stated that Republicans wanted dirty air and water and starvation. If I didn't know it was 2012, I would think it was 1972.
I really don't care what either side says. That's the effect all have achieved.
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Political speech today, like courtroom theatrics, advertising, and dysfunctional interpersonal conflict, is all about twisting the meaning of evidence, statistics, and perceptions to justify one's position. This means that politicians are not responding to the needs of the public, but are desperately trying to convince the public to vote for them (or against the foe), in the process making up endless excuses why. It's time to reject this model.
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Politicians lie and this surprises you? Have you been living in a bubble? I mean other than the Republican bubble of course.
How can you tell when a politician is lying? - There is some kind of sound emanating from his general direction, even if its the sound of birds chirping in the morning. If it came past a politician, its a lie until proven otherwise.
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Thanks. Good piece! But I hope the implication isnt that the lying is restricted to these three GOP figures. Lying and deceit is the currency of contemporary politics from Republicans to Democrats. And Obama is not squeaky clean either. His end of Iraq War speech at Fort Bragg is a classic example of falsifying information to make it fit his ends.
http://www.kabobfest.com/2011/12/the-myth-making-of-the-iraq-wars-end.html
Our country would be better served if they all stopped lying and confronted each other and the public with honest truths.
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Interesting article and I would agree that most of the claims presented are GOP slant attacks of half-truths at best. But, minority teen pregnancies a major issue? No. How about SNAP (they're no longer called food stamps under Obama)? No. In fact, I'm glad they exist for 36% white, 22% African American, 10% Hispanic, and others. (http://factcheck.org/2012/01/newts-faulty-food-stamp-claim/ ) Romney's claim on ACA (aka Obamacare) of $1 trillion? Look at CBO's own alt projection. Of the three claims, it's got the most merit though may be dubious. The verdict of the future is still out.
But, these are not the core issues of the US-JOBS. You picked #1,2,4 in GOP. Where's #3 Paul? To ignore, is to slant. Who's afraid of truth? Those it will hurt
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