Republican convention rife with inaccuracies and lies

I admit I am not surprised, just once again disappointed by the Daily Inter Lake’s blatant support of all things Republican or right-wing.  The latest example is last Sunday’s editorial on the Republican convention.  The convention was rife with speeches filled with inaccuracies, exaggerations and lies: Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan’s speech perhaps the most notable. Was it too difficult to do a little research to write an informative and valuable editorial or is providing a bit of professional journalism just too daunting for the Inter Lake?

Here are a few of the lies in Ryan’s speech that might provide for a better editorial:

Paul Ryan claimed President Obama has added $5 trillion in new debt, attempting to communicate that this “new debt” was created solely from new programs initiated by the Presiedent. The truth is that the vast majority of the debt increase is from policies enacted under President George W. Bush, including the Bush tax cuts and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (all of which were supported by Representative Ryan). The debt has increased during President Obama’s term, but it is a mistruth to say this is primarily a result of his decisions.

Ryan blamed the downgrading of the US’ credit rating on spending under President Obama. The truth is that the credit rating was downgraded because of Congressional gridlock with Republicans (dare I say obstructionists?) stalling with threats to not raise the debt ceiling.

Ryan blamed President Obama for the shutdown of a GM plant in Wisconsin. The truth is that the plant was closed while George W. Bush was president. And has the Inter Lake forgotten that Mitt Romney criticized the auto industry bailout, which has proven very successful in saving the US auto industry?

Ryan accused President Obama of cutting $716 billion from Medicare. The truth is $716 billion is the amount of savings in Medicare reimbursement rates and Medicare’s chief actuary says the Affordable Care Act substantially improves the system’s finances. Representative Ryan’s budget plan included these same savings.

My personal favorite distortion — okay, lie — is Ryan’s accusation that President Obama did “exactly nothing” about recommendations from the bipartisan Simpson-Bowles deficit commission, which the President created. Ryan failed to mention that he served on that commission and his opposition to its final proposals helped to seal its fate. The commission made a number of recommendations that Ryan opposed. Many House Republicans took their lead from Ryan, so his dismissal of the plan was seen as an important blow to its chances of success.

I don’t doubt there will be a lot of inaccuracies, exaggerations and lies in speeches at the Democratic National Convention. Will the Inter Lake’s coverage continue to be unfair and unbalanced? I’m not sure it is worth the price of a newspaper to find out.

Margie Gignac,

Kalispell