“When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth- he will either quit being mistaken, or cease being honest.” – author unknown
Mitt Romney feels no need for facts when making a political pitch to voters; his entire career, in business and in politics, has been built on lies, deception, and spontaneous metamorphosis. Such was the case when he spoke to voters in Ohio recently. According to the Detroit News:
Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told a rally in northern Ohio on Thursday night that Chrysler was considering moving production of its Jeep vehicles to China, apparently reacting to incorrect reports circulating online.
“I saw a story today that one of the great manufacturers in this state Jeep — now owned by the Italians — is thinking of moving all production to China,” Romney said at a rally in Defiance, Ohio, home to a General Motors powertrain plant. “I will fight for every good job in America. I’m going to fight to make sure trade is fair, and if it’s fair America will win.”
“I saw a story”… Seriously? And his “Presidential” reaction is to spread that story with no confirmation? Romney’s statement in Ohio was based on “reporting” by the factually-challenged right wing on the misinterpreted first paragraph in a Bloomberg story that read:
Fiat SpA (F), majority owner of Chrysler Group LLC, plans to return Jeep output to China and may eventually make all of its models in that country, according to the head of both automakers’ operations in the region.
What happened (and often does when you have a group of people who find reading as tedious as right wing pundits do), was that they lacked the intellectual stamina to read the entire article. As a result, they missed this statement a mere 200 words in, which reads (my emphasis):
Chrysler currently builds all Jeep SUV models at plants in Michigan, Illinois and Ohio. Manley referred to adding Jeep production sites rather than shifting output from North America to China.
Could that possibly be any clearer? The Detroit News article quotes Chrysler spokesman Gualberto Ranieri’s response to the right’s misinformation:
“Let’s set the record straight: Jeep has no intention of shifting production of its Jeep models out of North America to China. It’s simply reviewing the opportunities to return Jeep output to China for the world’s largest auto market. U.S. Jeep assembly lines will continue to stay in operation.”
Romney’s campaign did not respond to a Detroit News request for comment of course; but then why would he, lies and dishonesty have been the pillars of Romney’s campaign.
Former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland had this to say on MSNBC’s the Ed Show:
“…Mitt Romney is a desperate man. He knows he’s losing Ohio. If he loses Ohio he’s losing the election. But for him to do what he did is despicable. Think of the angst that those workers felt when they heard him say that. And obviously, it showed a lack of judgment and a lack of truthfulness. This man is not ready to be the President of the United States of America.”
Here are a few more facts from the Detroit Free Press:
A spokesman for the Republican presidential candidate declined to answer questions about the candidate’s incorrect reading of a news report that Chrysler was considering moving all Jeep production to China.
Romney’s comments came late Thursday in Defiance, Ohio, just hours after the Free Press reported that 1,100 new Chrysler workers will help boost production of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango SUVs in Detroit beginning next week.
Also, Chrysler is investing $500 million to upgrade its plant in Toledo to build the replacement for the Jeep Liberty and is in the process of hiring 1,105 additional workers that are expected to start next fall.
So does Romney feel any need to clear up his false claim, or reassure voters in Ohio? Thus far, I can find no correction from Romney or his campaign regarding his statement. Hardly surprising.
View All
™ 2006-2013 ©