Personally, I think team Obama should revive the meme from the campaign that included a President, "who won't just tell you what you want to hear, but what you need to know."
FACT FREE LEADERSHIP
Here's Jan Brewer, incumbent GOP Governor of Arizona, caught spreading lies about "beheadings in the desert". (see below). "Fighting the liberal press" is really code for unaccountable leadership.
Real news about conflicts of interest gets financially punished (!). This is not fighting a liberal slant or spin. It is fighting to not be held accountable, to not answer questions, to be "above everyone".
CARLY, THE CUTOUT - UNTHINKING LIES
Enter stage left, Carly Fiorina, who hit Barbara Boxer with the labels of "big government" and "raise taxes". A more subtle set of lies in pursuit of power, no?
These labels are so dull and long-in-the-tooth from the Reagan Devolution, that they are now "lies", outright slight-of-hand.
George Bush was in office for eight long years. If "Government" were so big and bloated, how come it didn't get slashed and fixed? A better take is that the GOP focus on "Big Government" causes them to not be sound custodians of the Government. That's how we ended up with, say, regulators who were too deferential to industry and real danger to the public, including problems with the FAA and problems with oil-rig manipulation.
Last, income taxes are the lowest they've been in decades. If Democrats are abject tax hikers, it's not in the historical record.
The list goes on. Here are a few more.
- "Tax cuts pay for themselves."
Truth: everyone who has cut taxes and waited for growth to cover the resulting deficit has eventually had to face their "Mankiw Moment", when it's plain that the cuts are NOT going to pay for themselves.
[More from ThinkProgress, with special mention of Fiorina] - "Compassionate conservative"
Truth: long list includes recent attempt to balance the budget on the backs of the unemployed; it's okay for people to lose health care coverage; Obama owes an apology to Big Oil, we need a federal amendment to protect us from gays; ... - The Estate Tax will destroy the nations' farmers
Truth: maybe 2% of farmers will have some impact from the estate tax; the rest, none.
See ThinkProgress, here and here. - The "War on Brains"
TPM Muckraker has a sizable list. - Casual lies - if it easier than the truth
Glen Beck cops to lie, paradoxically told at "Restoring Honor" rally...(!)
