THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION

The Republican National Convention

        If only there could have been a true prophet at the RNC to stand up and ask, "Is there a truthful Republican in the house?"
        (to which I would have been tempted to add, "or in the Senate?")
        Will there be a truthful speaker at the RNC? Probably not, there hasn't been so far, and we haven't even heard from Mitt Romney yet!
        The speeches have been filled with half truths and outright falsehoods. To be sure, to varying degrees of effectiveness, they are revving up the crowd. Paul Ryan's speech last night gave them all the red meat they wanted. To be sure, they have every right to declare their differences with the current administration, to criticize its programs and policies, and to poke fun at their opponents. That's politics, and the Republicans are good at it.
        But what they say should bear some resemblance to the truth, and when their words are blatantly inconsistent with their records, that's utterly deceitful and hypocritical. As to be expected, the speakers have consistently misrepresented the President ("he wants to eliminate the work requirement for welfare recipients"), lied about him ("he robbed Medicare of $716 billion to pay for Obamacare"), and quoted him out of context ("he told business owners, 'You didn't build your business'"). The fact checkers are having a field day!
        Ann Romney charmed the delegates Tuesday night. Her love for and belief in her husband was obvious and sincere. She assured her audience that her husband "is a man you can trust!" But I was wondering, as she said that, how can I trust a man who doesn't tell the truth, who is constantly changing his story, whose professed financial policies are not consistent with his personal practices, whose refusal to reveal his income tax returns makes many people wonder what he's hiding, and who is either unable or unwilling to give a straight answer to a direct question, especially one having to do with his "plan" for saving the American economy?
        The Republicans accept no blame for the fact that they have consistently opposed every piece of legislation designed to help solve the very problems they're complaining about, e.g., the American Jobs Act, which was the President's plan for putting people back to work.  As I have said in previous blog posts, don't blame the President, blame the Republicans! They would rather let the country suffer than help Barack Obama succeed..Their stated goal was make him a one-term President. So now they are savoring the opportunity to blame the President for all of America's problems.
        The Democrats will have their opportunity next week to set the record straight at their own convention. They have one huge advantage over the Republicans: they don't have to lie! The facts are on their side.