Let's shred some of the more established right
wing talking points, or as I like to call them, lies.
Obama has been the biggest spending President
in history!
FALSE. Year to year spending increases have been less than 1%. They’re also at their lowest rate of year to year increases since Eisenhower.
FALSE. Year to year spending increases have been less than 1%. They’re also at their lowest rate of year to year increases since Eisenhower.
Obama has spent more than all other Presidents
in history!
FALSE. On January 20, 2009 our national debt was $10.6 trillion, today it’s $16.7 trillion—for a $6.1 trillion increase. For the mathematically challenged, $6.1 trillion is less than $10.6 trillion. This also doesn't factor in the money spent in 2009, which gets tagged to President Obama, was actually passed by Bush.
FALSE. On January 20, 2009 our national debt was $10.6 trillion, today it’s $16.7 trillion—for a $6.1 trillion increase. For the mathematically challenged, $6.1 trillion is less than $10.6 trillion. This also doesn't factor in the money spent in 2009, which gets tagged to President Obama, was actually passed by Bush.
*This also doesn’t take into account much of
the cost of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars had not been put on
our books by the Bush administration.
Obama is a Muslim!
FALSE. You’re an idiot and I’m not even going to explain why.
Obama isn’t an American!
FALSE. See above.
FALSE. See above.
Obama is a Communist/Socialist/Fascist!
FALSE. They’re all different—it’s impossible to be all 3. Then with stocks setting new records, having their best 10 day stretch since 1996, and increasing by more than 100% since their lows in 2006…he would be the worst Communist, Socialist or Fascist that has ever existed
.
FALSE. They’re all different—it’s impossible to be all 3. Then with stocks setting new records, having their best 10 day stretch since 1996, and increasing by more than 100% since their lows in 2006…he would be the worst Communist, Socialist or Fascist that has ever existed
.
The economy has gotten worse under
Obama!
FALSE. Are you insane, have selective memory or both? In February 2009, we lost 651K jobs. In February 2013, we added 236K jobs. Again, for the mathematically challenged, that’s a positive shift of 887K jobs from our losses in February 2009 to our gains in February 2013.
FALSE. Are you insane, have selective memory or both? In February 2009, we lost 651K jobs. In February 2013, we added 236K jobs. Again, for the mathematically challenged, that’s a positive shift of 887K jobs from our losses in February 2009 to our gains in February 2013.
I’ve seen the rebuttal to these numbers, so
I’ll squash it right now before moving on:
Those jobs numbers are a lie! No, they’re
from the same source which Republicans have used to saddle Obama’s
job losses (from his first year in office… and only his first
year). So you can’t use a source to support your argument,
then ignore that very same source when it no longer supports what you
want to believe.
Unemployment is at record highs!
FALSE. Unemployment hit a high during November 2009 of 10%, it’s now at 7.7%.
FALSE. Unemployment hit a high during November 2009 of 10%, it’s now at 7.7%.
I can already hear the Republican rebuttal to
this one as well, “But that doesn't include the people
who have stopped looking for work!” I hate to burst your
bubble, but the unemployment rate *never includes those who have
given up looking for work*! This isn't a change in
what defines our unemployment rate, this is how it has been
calculated for quite some time.
Fun history lesson: When Reagan took
office, unemployment was at 7.5%. Within his first 18 months in
office unemployment shot all the way up to 10.8%.
Obamacare is unconstitutional!
FALSE. The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, signed by the President and the Supreme Court ruled that it was in fact Constitutional.
FALSE. The Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, signed by the President and the Supreme Court ruled that it was in fact Constitutional.
Obama has been terrible for business!
FALSE. Corporate profits are up 171% since President Obama took office and are at their highest levels, relative to the size of economic growth, since 1947.
FALSE. Corporate profits are up 171% since President Obama took office and are at their highest levels, relative to the size of economic growth, since 1947.
Obama has waged a war on the rich!
FALSE. We’ve added over 300,000 new millionaires, for a total of 8.9 million, approaching the all-time high of 9.2 million. And some of them do not mind paying the 1996 rate....
FALSE. We’ve added over 300,000 new millionaires, for a total of 8.9 million, approaching the all-time high of 9.2 million. And some of them do not mind paying the 1996 rate....
Obama is out to take away our Second Amendment
rights!
FALSE. Well, not anymore than Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush wanted to. He wants to put back in place the assault weapons ban that was supported by Reagan and Bush that expired in 2004. He also wants to limit magazine size to 10 rounds and require universal background checks for all gun purchases–something that is overwhelmingly supported by most Americans, regardless of political affiliation.
FALSE. Well, not anymore than Ronald Reagan or George W. Bush wanted to. He wants to put back in place the assault weapons ban that was supported by Reagan and Bush that expired in 2004. He also wants to limit magazine size to 10 rounds and require universal background checks for all gun purchases–something that is overwhelmingly supported by most Americans, regardless of political affiliation.
I’ll stop there. I could go on for
pages, but I’d risk going into laughably ridiculous stories such as
microchips and FEMA concentration camps that really don’t deserve
any rational person's attention.
The point is, these statements comprise the
vast majority of comments I have read, or heard from Republicans,
their pundits and media "Sources", and they are all
complete fabricated bullshit!
This is why political debate can go absolutely
nowhere these days. It’s hard to have rational discussion
with people who are begin their argument will prejudice and
completely provable bullshit!.
Not only do they base their argument on this nonsense, they want this bullshit to be true. To the point of ignoring observable facts and evidence!
Even when you present them with indisputable factual data that contradicts their beliefs, it makes absolutely no difference, they rationalize their willful ignorance by suggesting that the facts are a clever conspiracy, and only they are correct, it is the rest of the World that is stupid.
Not only do they base their argument on this nonsense, they want this bullshit to be true. To the point of ignoring observable facts and evidence!
Even when you present them with indisputable factual data that contradicts their beliefs, it makes absolutely no difference, they rationalize their willful ignorance by suggesting that the facts are a clever conspiracy, and only they are correct, it is the rest of the World that is stupid.
And therein lies the problem. They’re
suffering from a pervasive cognitive dissonance; the feeling of
discomfort when simultaneously holding two or more conflicting ideas,
beliefs, values or emotional reactions. Sufferers
may sometimes feel "disequilibrium": frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc.
The theory of cognitive dissonance in social psychology proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by altering existing understandings, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements.
In effect, creating some alternate form of reality which justifies or eliminates these conflicts, in order to find consonance, information that does not support their preferred beliefs are ignored.
may sometimes feel "disequilibrium": frustration, hunger, dread, guilt, anger, embarrassment, anxiety, etc.
The theory of cognitive dissonance in social psychology proposes that people have a motivational drive to reduce dissonance by altering existing understandings, adding new ones to create a consistent belief system, or alternatively by reducing the importance of any one of the dissonant elements.
In effect, creating some alternate form of reality which justifies or eliminates these conflicts, in order to find consonance, information that does not support their preferred beliefs are ignored.
That’s where we are with Republicans and
conservatives in general. They want to believe the
lies they've been spoon fed, even though reality does
not support them.
To ease this dissonance, conservatives and Republicans have created an alternate reality where facts,science ,reality,history and math are only factual, if they support their preferred narrative.
To ease this dissonance, conservatives and Republicans have created an alternate reality where facts,science ,reality,history and math are only factual, if they support their preferred narrative.
And that’s very dangerous.
