More "Mitt-representations" from Romney

Mitt Romney continues to play fast and loose with the truth.

Mitt Romney created an inaccurate picture when, speaking to wealthy
donors at a $50,000 a plate May fundraiser,  he claimed that 47 percent of Americans  pay no income tax. According to the Boston Globe
(9/19/12, "Almost every American adult pays some combination of excise,
property, sales, and state or local income taxes."

Moreover Romney claimed that these "moochers" are "people
who will vote for the president no matter what." In fact, as noted by the
nonpartisan Tax Foundation, in 2008, 8 of the 10 states with the highest
percentages of people who paid no income tax voted for Republican John McCain
(Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Idaho, Louisiana, and
Texas). Without a doubt, the electoral votes of those same states will go to
Romney this year.

Only two of those 10 states (New Mexico and Florida) supported Barack Obama in 2008. So much for Romney's mischaracterizations of what he calls America's "moochers."

Romney also attacked President Obama for allegedly eliminating the work requirement that was part of the 1996 welfare overhaul. Now, claimed Romney, we were back to a situation where welfare recipients would get government benefits without ever having to work.

However, according to the Boston Globe (9/12/12), "The charge is false. The president in July opened the door for states to tinker with their welfare-to-work programs - a step Romney advocated for as Massachusetts governor in 2005 - but only if states show they will use that flexibility to improve, not lower, workforce participation rates. Independent experts and media fact-checking organizations confirmed this reading of Obama's actions."

One might imagine that Romney is no longer able to see beyond his nose as it lengthens with each additional false charge. Further evidence of Romney's increasing inability to see things clearly due to his formidable proboscis involves Medicare. Romney recently accused President Obama of weakening Medicare. Said Romney, "His $716 billion cut to Medicare to finance Obamacare will both hurt today's seniors and depress innovation - and jobs - in medicine."

According to the Boston Globe (8/31/12), "That line rings hollow, however, primarily because Republicans, including Romney's running mate, Representative Paul Ryan, have proposed making similar cuts. Obama uses the savings to help fund his signature health care program."

Then, there is the business of Romney falsely accusing President Obama of appeasing terrorists following (Romney claimed)  the killing of the American ambassador and three American co-workers in Libya. Romney was in such a rush to make political hay from this American tragedy that he jumbled the timing of the events surrounding this incident.

According to a timeline in the Boston Globe (9/13/12), in an effort to head off expected violence following the appearance of an anti-Muslim video produced by an American citizen which appeared on You Tube, the United States embassy in Cairo issued the following statement at 6:17 a.m. on Sept. 11: "The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims - as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions . . ."

Note, at this point,  no rioting or killing of Americans had occurred. The statement was made to quell violence before it took place. Thirteen hours later, at 7:43 p.m. that same day (Sept. 11), the Associated Press released an alert stating, "Libyan security official says 1 American shot dead, another wounded in attack on US consulate."

At 10:24 p.m. that same day (Sept. 11), Romney's campaign released the following comment from the candidate,  "It's disgraceful that the Obama
administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic
missions, but to sympathize with those who made the attacks."

There are several problems here. First, the statement came from the American Embassy in Cairo, and it occurred prior to the rioting and the death of four Americans, not after. So, it was not in response to anything, as Romney alleged. And to this point in time, Obama himself hadn't yet commented on the situation.

Former Republican U.S.Senator Arthur Vandenberg once said famously, "Politics ends at the water's edge." Romney ignored Vandenberg's patriotic dictum and crossed the Atlantic to launch a political attack on President Obama  at a time when hard facts regarding the death of the Americans were largely unknown. And hemfell on his ever-lengthening nose in so doing, and was roundly criticized not
only by Democrats, but also by more than a few Republicans.

A word of advice to Mitt Romney from Sir Walter Scott: "What a tangled web we weave when we first practice to deceive."