like "untruths", "factually inaccurate", "misleading" for the word LIES. Luckovich nails it yet again.

this is why they love opinions and quotes. it's really easy to provide support for "many people believe man and dinosaur co-existed" or "congressman such-and-so said today that the mars is made of crude oil, gold, and diamonds".

it's easy to miss, but they actually don't often represent AS FACTS the things we hear them saying all the time.

this is why they're loathe to call someone a liar. it's not hard to prove they're saying something factually inaccurate, but to prove they LIED, you need to prove that they KNEW it was factually inaccurate and DELIBERATELY chose to express it otherwise.

that's the sort of thing that's tough even for a jury and a full-blown trial, let alone the information a mere reporter can gather. the liar can always claim to simply have been unaware that the statement was false or to have slipped up and expressed it incorrectly.

i know, it strains credulity, but this is the reason the media avoid using such terms.

There was NO modicum of truth in Ryan's lie about the closure of the factory being the fault of President Obama. That, to me, is where the word LIE can be used without credible repercussion, imo.

There are documents showing Ryan KNEW when and who was responsible for the closure so the question of knowing it was a lie and deliberately choosing to express it anyway is NOT in question in this case and many others.

I understand the necessity to be very clear on when to use the word LIE by the media and others but, to me, it is a lack of integrity to avoid it when the facts speak for themselves.

even when proving it is pretty easy.


besides, they no longer view themselves as purveyors of important and relevant truth while paying reasonable respect to what both parties/candidates are saying.

they view themselves as purveyors of republican/right-wing propaganda while paying as little attention to what the democrats/left-wing are saying as they can get away with and without overtly lying themselves.

repub/right wing talking points. It is both infuriating and sad to see, imo.

what they said was not true. You don't have to prove that they knew it was factually inaccurate and they deliberately chose to express it otherwise.

Did what the man say was untrue? If the answer is yes, he LIED. I don't have to begin to dwell in the mind of the man who lied. He can justify his lies to himself. I won't make excuses for him.

the state of mind of the speaker is the very difference between "lying" and "telling a falsehood".

personally, i think it's clear that ryan lied about his marathon time, for example. it's really hard to fathom someone running a marathon in over 4 hours and later innocently misremembering it was under 3 hours. but the media hates the possibility of being called on to prove that sort of thing.


then again, given that the media loves "opinion" so much, surely they could find a way to express the "opinion" that he lied.

to call any of your fellow MP's a liar during parliamentary proceedings, and which has been refined in this country to allow politicians to tell what amount to "non-lie lies". )

C'mon press people...you're not obligated to be "unbiased" and "objective" when it comes to the question of truth vs. lies.

To say that you are implies that dishonesty is now morally equivalent to honesty.

"To say that you are implies that dishonesty is now morally equivalent to honesty."

He used to work for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. Sigh.

or is the message that Ryayn is a flaming asshole?

not that the 'R' man has them, but rather that he is one.


Upon edit for syntax.

From the Progressive insurance ad.

in my entire 44 years of life, I have never herd sauna pronounced that way.

His overemphasis almost spoils it, but it is not the nasal SAWnah that is often heard in the US, it is SOWnah. If you were talking to one of the older Finns that I grew up around, they would make it almost three syllables, ssOWnah.

I grew up in Ohio, just for a point of reference.

with Laihtis, Kinnunens, Sironens, Ahos, Aunes, Leppalas, etc. I'm not Finnish myself, but I spent enough time surrounded by them to learn sauna. To say an "au" with a Finnish flair, you really dig into it as "OW", like what you say when you stub your toe and there are little kids around, but you start high, go low, go back high.

I thought the flames were coming outta his ass!

...and very welcome after literally months of media cooing and gushing about Ryan adding intellectual heft to the debate.

Is that like a steamin' pant load?

What does not even fucking mean?!

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/politics-elections/246721-ap-ryan-speech-took-factual-shortcuts-on-medicare