The beauty of politics is the license to say whatever you want — true or otherwise. Actually, no, that kind of sucks, but it’s an everlasting truth we all must acknowledge, like the fact Dick Cheyney will never die.
On Sunday, The Plain Dealer broke down the great political fib in the era of ubiquitous fact-checking and found that despite a plethora of folks, both regular and of the media variety, pointing out when politicians say very stupid, very false things, politicians continue to say very stupid, very false things with little to no repercussions.
In fact, lying about your opponent remains as vital to campaigning today as it was back in 1908 when William Taft told the press William Jennings Bryan was so fat he once got stuck in a bathtub.
One great tidbit from the PD article focuses on Josh Mandel, that boyish used car salesman who’s running against Sherrod Brown. Mandel had charged that Brown, a noted and distinguished foreign trade opponent, was responsible for Ohio jobs being lost to China.
Asked to provide examples, Mandel had zero that stood up to any scrutiny. PolitiFact in turn took a book of matches and lit Mandel’s pants on fire.
When asked again by The Plain Dealer to give examples of specific Ohio jobs lost to China, this is what Mandel had to say:
This article appears in Mar 21-27, 2012.
Wow…Guess who doesn’t get my vote…
Dumbass rich kid….
He received republican support for one, maybe two reasons (I think). He was in the military and claims every true American hates libtards. … and then he agrees with the governor and the Columbus Dispatch and the owners of that newspaper. And he hates Sherrod Brown and anyone who supports him…and then there is the big money at The US Chamber who hates Brown also and will pay for all the attacks on him that money can buy..Lies? You bet. Even more when to get ..to November. The US Chamber will have spent enough money pushing Josh in and Brown out than it cost to get Bush elected..Why does The US Chamber of Commerce hate Sherrod Brown so much? Why does our governor hate the president of the USA so much? Why do the republicans hate us libtards so much? Hate is in style this year with a big race card being played by all and in many ways. Us poor folks are still the ones getting screwed the most and blamed the most for all of the problems. Blame the bums, the homeless and those without health insurance…or the slow minded and too happy being slow..or the gays who have fun in spite of being attacked by hate dudes…or the Muslims who get blamed for all religious anger in all religions…or the Hindus who get blamed for eating all of the Twinkies.
Sherrod Brown must be a big threat to the Repub’s as the US Chamber is sure spending a lot of money trying to get him out of office. Mandel isn’t dry behind the ears yet. He needs to stay at one position long enough to really get some work done. He wins one election and immediately is out campaining for the next. Serve out your term or don’t run for that office.
One of the PD commenters refers to him as Josh “Screech” Mandel. Can’t say that I disagree…
@Butch — Did you call for then-Senator Obama to do the same?
Whatever is said…I still have a problem with a kid blatantly puking misinformation, if that is the kind of campaign he is told to run well he has problems….
This speaks to a much bigger problem with politicians in general. Until people are held accountable for what they say, this will continue to happen. Republican or Democrat, if you don’t make your candidate pay for blatant lying, then they will continue to do so more and more. Sad but true.