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Romney’s New Ad Pioneers a New Low Standard of Dishonest Editing

pbrauer

pbrauer

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The editing of President Obama in this ad is so blatantly dishonest that Mitt Romney doesn't say "I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message." For sure this is so dishonest, the Right Wing will love it.

One of the big stories of this election is the absolutely blatant dishonesty of the Romney campaign. In these cynical days, everybody expects politicians to stretch, exaggerate, and slant their talking points to benefit themselves. But Mitt Romney is pioneering a relatively new type of presidential campaign distortion (much like he pioneered outsourcing), the Breitbart/O’Keefe-style fraudulently edited video. With much higher production values.

There’s just no other word for it but “fraud.” Romney’s newest campaign advertisement uses the recording of Obama’s “If you’ve got a business” statement — but they edited out most of what Obama said, to give a completely false impression. In your face.


Greg Sargent has more; the section in bold is what the Romney campaign had to cut out, in order to smear Obama as “anti-business:” Romney Video Deceptively Edits Obama Speech to Make It Sound Anti-Business.​
 
All candidates stretch the truth, but I honestly can't remember a more dishonest campaign than the one Romney has been running. The guy has absolutely no integrity.
 
AdamT said:
All candidates stretch the truth, but I honestly can't remember a more dishonest campaign than the one Romney has been running. The guy has absolutely no integrity.
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That's an understatement. Like I said, the Right should love the ad.
 
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pbrauer said:
The editing of President Obama in this ad is so blatantly dishonest that Mitt Romney doesn't say "I'm Mitt Romney and I approve this message." For sure this is so dishonest, the Right Wing will love it.

One of the big stories of this election is the absolutely blatant dishonesty of the Romney campaign. In these cynical days, everybody expects politicians to stretch, exaggerate, and slant their talking points to benefit themselves. But Mitt Romney is pioneering a relatively new type of presidential campaign distortion (much like he pioneered outsourcing), the Breitbart/O’Keefe-style fraudulently edited video. With much higher production values.

There’s just no other word for it but “fraud.” Romney’s newest campaign advertisement uses the recording of Obama’s “If you’ve got a business” statement — but they edited out most of what Obama said, to give a completely false impression. In your face.


Greg Sargent has more; the section in bold is what the Romney campaign had to cut out, in order to smear Obama as “anti-business:” Romney Video Deceptively Edits Obama Speech to Make It Sound Anti-Business.​
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Where's the dishonesty?
 
apdst said:
Where's the dishonesty?
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Im not seeing the big issue here...Obama teed it up.. now they whine? and lets be real..Obama slipped and really said what he means, his speach was pure communism and Marx... if anyone knows Obama its exactly what he feels,,,this is why his college records are sealed.. lets not forget he's a genius and does not need a teleprompter
 
apdst said:
Where's the dishonesty?
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The Morning Plum: Romney video deceptively edits Obama speech to make it sound anti-business - The Plum Line - The Washington Post

[T]he video deceptively edits Obama’s remarks to seamlessly link up two different parts of the speech, removing a chunk in order to make Obama’s remarks seem far worse than they are. Here is how Obama’s speech — which you hear in the background while pictures of the man driving flash on the screen — is represented in the video:

​
If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be ‘cause I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

​
In the video, the speech is made to sound as if Obama continued straight from “let me tell you something” to “if you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.” But here are the words that Obama said between those two sentences that were cut out (the missing sentences are in bold):

​
Let me tell you something. There are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.

​
 
Travis007 said:
Im not seeing the big issue here...Obama teed it up.. now they whine? and lets be real..Obama slipped and really said what he means, his speach was pure communism and Marx... if anyone knows Obama its exactly what he feels,,,this is why his college records are sealed.. lets not forget he's a genius and does not need a teleprompter
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Really? So you have no problem with editing someone's words to completely change the message?

Wow. Anything to support your team, I guess. Even lies are ok.
 
Kind of like the "I like to fire people" bit....right? Goose and gander....
 
Rules? In a Knife Fight?
 
If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be ‘cause I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.
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This, actually, is bad enough. Almost every businessman who "makes it" is smart as hell...works harder than any two men...and would be insulted by these remarks alone. Regardless of what he put in between. "Let me tell you something." Who the hell's he lecturing?? Those evil successful businessmen??
 
MaggieD said:
This, actually, is bad enough. Almost every businessman who "makes it" is smart as hell...works harder than any two men...and would be insulted by these remarks alone. Regardless of what he put in between. "Let me tell you something." Who the hell's he lecturing?? Those evil successful businessmen??
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You quoted the deceptively edited text -- not the actual speech. :roll:
 
The Obama campaign should find the guy in the commercial, play him the entire tape, then record his reaction when he realized he was used and mislead by the Romney people.

How embarrassing for him and his family to be used like that.
 
pbrauer said:
The Morning Plum: Romney video deceptively edits Obama speech to make it sound anti-business - The Plum Line - The Washington Post

[T]he video deceptively edits Obama’s remarks to seamlessly link up two different parts of the speech, removing a chunk in order to make Obama’s remarks seem far worse than they are. Here is how Obama’s speech — which you hear in the background while pictures of the man driving flash on the screen — is represented in the video:

​
If you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be ‘cause I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

​
In the video, the speech is made to sound as if Obama continued straight from “let me tell you something” to “if you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.” But here are the words that Obama said between those two sentences that were cut out (the missing sentences are in bold):

​
Let me tell you something. There are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.

​
Click to expand...

Do you understand that the bold statement does not change the meaning or the intent of what Obama said? The idea that one teacher helped you (and only you or everyone in your class would be just as successful) or that the system helped only you (and not your neighbor, or their neighbor, or most others) is absurd. It isn't the help or the circumstances we get along the way that make us successful, it is what we do with those circumstances. There is a reason the greatest teacher in the public school system doesn't put out thousands of highly successful students. There is a reason that millions of Americans live in poverty despite being in the same system as those that are very rich. Some people succeed and some people fail. To claim that those that do succeed are products of great teachers and a great system but those that fail do so because the same teachers and the same system failed them is disingenuous. Romeny's ad demonstrates just how sickening it is for a President to turn his back on the American dream....AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT TURNS HIS BACK ON THE AMERICAN DREAM...in favor of wealth redistribution.
 
ksu_aviator said:
Do you understand that the bold statement does not change the meaning or the intent of what Obama said? The idea that one teacher helped you (and only you or everyone in your class would be just as successful) or that the system helped only you (and not your neighbor, or their neighbor, or most others) is absurd. It isn't the help or the circumstances we get along the way that make us successful, it is what we do with those circumstances. There is a reason the greatest teacher in the public school system doesn't put out thousands of highly successful students. There is a reason that millions of Americans live in poverty despite being in the same system as those that are very rich. Some people succeed and some people fail. To claim that those that do succeed are products of great teachers and a great system but those that fail do so because the same teachers and the same system failed them is disingenuous. Romeny's ad demonstrates just how sickening it is for a President to turn his back on the American dream....AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT TURNS HIS BACK ON THE AMERICAN DREAM...in favor of wealth redistribution.
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Holy ****, why are conservatives so illiterate? He said is that it takes people doing things together and individual initiative. So if 1000 people have the same great teacher, they aren't all going to show the same level of success because they don't have the same level of individual initiative (or identical experiences).
 
AdamT said:
Holy ****, why are conservatives so illiterate? He said is that it takes people doing things together and individual initiative. So if 1000 people have the same great teacher, they aren't all going to show the same level of success because they don't have the same level of individual initiative (or identical experiences).
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Because we know exactly what he's trying to do. He's trying to create a moral equivalency for redistributing wealth based on perceived achievements rather than real achievements. What he fails to point out is that teachers, construction workers, law enforcement, etc are all compensated with contracts they agree to. They don't have a right to OPM. Obama, liberals and the 99%'s all want to create this pseudo moral obligation to redistribute wealth based on their concept of utopia. Conservatives just want everyone to have the same rights and freedoms and allow the results to be what the results will be.
 
ksu_aviator said:
Because we know exactly what he's trying to do. He's trying to....
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In other words, no matter what he actually SAYS, you KNOW that what he really means is.... :lamo
 
AdamT said:
In other words, no matter what he actually SAYS, you KNOW that what he really means is.... :lamo
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Do we have to bring up the exchange with Joe "the plumber"?



He said it. He said he wants to spread the wealth around. How much clearer must it be?
 
FYI, in the nearly 3 minutes Obama spent talking about this topic, he only mentioned individual initiative once (and it sounded more like an after thought) and he spent the rest of the time talking about how he would redistribute wealth.

 
ksu_aviator said:
FYI, in the nearly 3 minutes Obama spent talking about this topic, he only mentioned individual initiative once (and it sounded more like an after thought) and he spent the rest of the time talking about how he would redistribute wealth.

Click to expand...


Maybe you should read the whole speech? Because he actually mentions it quite a few times, e.g.:

**** [A]t the heart of this country, its central idea is the idea that in this country, if you’re willing to work hard, if you’re willing to take responsibility, you can make it if you try.* (Applause.)* That you can find a job that supports a family and find a home you can make your own; that you won’t go bankrupt when you get sick.* That maybe you can take a little vacation with your family once in a while -- nothing fancy, but just time to spend with those you love.* Maybe see the country a little bit, maybe come down to Roanoke.* (Applause.)* That your kids can get a great education, and if they’re willing to work hard, then they can achieve things that you wouldn’t have even imagined achieving.* And then you can maybe retire with some dignity and some respect, and be part of a community and give something back.* (Applause.)*

That’s the idea of America.* It doesn’t matter what you look like.* It doesn’t matter where you come from.* It doesn’t matter what your last name is.* You can live out the American Dream.* That’s what binds us all together.* (Applause.)
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or....

Our goal isn’t just to put people back to work -- although that’s priority number one -- it is to build an economy where that work pays off.* An economy where everyone, whether you are starting a business or punching a clock, can see your hard work and responsibility rewarded.* That’s what this campaign’s about, Roanoke.* And that’s why I’m running for a second term as President of the United States of America.* (Applause.)
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AdamT said:
Holy ****, why are conservatives so illiterate? He said is that it takes people doing things together and individual initiative. So if 1000 people have the same great teacher, they aren't all going to show the same level of success because they don't have the same level of individual initiative (or identical experiences).
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But that isn't what he said is it? The campaign will have a bunch of time trying to find a way to spin this. I see you have the Clinton PR boys on CNN, maybe they can help you spin out of this one.
 
AdamT said:
Maybe you should read the whole speech? Because he actually mentions it quite a few times, e.g.:



or....
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Selective editing, how horrible!
 
The best part about this ad, is that the Obama campaign has a new ad as a rebuttal to this one claiming that Romney made up the quote and that the president never said "If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen."

They then run a different quote from a different section of the speech to show that Romney made the whole thing up.

Hilarious.
 
Yeah, all you people whining about "unprecedented" dishonesty, yadda yadda yadda . . .

I have two words for you: "Mission Accomplished." There have been nine years of massive misquoting and taking-out-of-context wrapped around those two words. Where's the lamentation about that?

Also, how about the blatant dishonesty in the presumption behind what Obama said? That there are massive swathes of his political opponents that argue there should be no government, no publicly-funded roads and infrastructure, and that there should be no taxes at all (in order to fund these things)? He's taking swipes at people who, by and large, simply don't exist, and in doing so, he's absolutely denigrating the people who drive the economy. (And many of you are cheering him on in doing so.)

And he never makes the final leap -- OK, people succeed with help. And? No one disagrees with this. So what conclusion should be drawn from this?
 
The real problem with obama's comments was what was unsaid and implied-------that successful people OWE some of their profits to others and the role of govt is to take that profit and give it to people who did nothing to earn it.
 
Deuce said:
Really? So you have no problem with editing someone's words to completely change the message?

Wow. Anything to support your team, I guess. Even lies are ok.
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NO if you know Obama he slipped and really todl the truth.. the words are well known communist Marxist verbage...

that you dont get that is the real issue and think this frauid was "just talking about roads" which he is wrong on who paid and did what..

this is to devalue the persons efforts... to take more..
 
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