During last night’s debate, ostensibly on foreign policy, the subject of the auto industry bailouts came up. Barack Obama insisted that Mitt Romney had said that he would have liquidated the auto industry, or at least fiddled while it burned. Governor Romney asserted that he’d said no such thing.
A transcript of the exchange is available here.
The GOP and blogger Patterico, among others, sprinted in front of the lapdog media to debunk Obama’s claims. They drew attention to the 2008 op-ed Obama had alluded to last night. Contrary to Obama’s claims, in the op-ed, Governor Romney promoted tax reform and managed bankruptcy as alternatives to the auto bailout:
It is not wrong to ask for government help, but the automakers should come up with a win-win proposition. I believe the federal government should invest substantially more in basic research — on new energy sources, fuel-economy technology, materials science and the like — that will ultimately benefit the automotive industry, along with many others. I believe Washington should raise energy research spending to $20 billion a year, from the $4 billion that is spent today. The research could be done at universities, at research labs and even through public-private collaboration. The federal government should also rectify the imbedded tax penalties that favor foreign carmakers.
…
The American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk.
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In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check.
Hmmm … call us crazy, but it sounds like Obama was full of it.
Conservative Twitterers agreed. They saw right through the president’s lies and called on the media to do their job:
Will media call Obama on lying – again – about Romney's position on the auto-industry bailout?
— Lyford Beverage (@LyfordBeverage) October 23, 2012
https://twitter.com/RichardGrenell/statuses/260730308930981888
Dear @chucktodd, I find it fascinating how you’ve yet to mention how Obama lied about Romney’s statements on the auto bailout. Why is that?
— RBe (@RBPundit) October 23, 2012
Dear Beltway Media, Obama lied about what Romney said about the auto bailout. REPORT THAT. Do your fucking jobs for once. #tcot #p2
— RBe (@RBPundit) October 23, 2012
So, Mitt never said, "Let Detroit Go Bankrupt" NYT did, and other lies from the media about important stuff.http://t.co/MjfuXOnv
— RandomGemini (@RandomGemini) October 23, 2012
Still waiting for the major media to fact check Obama on the auto bailout moment..not holding my breath
— Dan (@ulebwise) October 23, 2012
Their calls were finally answered.
FINALLY – MSNBC Fact Check: Romney Was Right And Obama Was Wrong On Auto Bailout http://t.co/jXGd3GNX
— ✭ Wayne Dupree ✭ (@WayneDupreeShow) October 23, 2012
Wow. When MSNBC can’t even cover for the president …
President Obama, for his part, has merely doubled down on his lie:
Romney now: "I like American cars." Romney in 2008: "Let Detroit go bankrupt."
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 23, 2012
During a speech today in Ohio, he continued to beat the drum:
Obama sharpens attack on Romney's character, tells Ohioans Romney lied in their faces about auto bailout: http://t.co/alzXmPV5
— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) October 23, 2012
"If you say that you love American cars during a debate—but you wrote an article titled 'Let Detroit Go Bankrupt'—you might have #Romnesia."
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 23, 2012
President Obama: “Last night, Gov. Romney looked you right in the eye and tried to pretend that he never said ‘let Detroit go bankrupt.’”
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 23, 2012
President Obama: “The people of Ohio don’t forget. If Mitt Romney had been president … we might not have an American auto industry.”
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 23, 2012
It’s long past time the Obama campaign slogan be changed from “Forward” to “Never let the truth get in the way of a good false narrative.”
Best quote from last night: OBAMA: "No, I am not wrong. I am not wrong." And yet, he was. http://t.co/826uTdBa #debate
— Laura Wall (@LauraWall_TX) October 23, 2012
“Wrong” is being too kind. President Obama is actively engaged in deception. We deserve a solid leader, not a liar. Remember in November.
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