Ok, I get it, the last one has nothing to do with politics. \u00a0But anyone who has run a marathon will tell you that they know within a minute, if not a second, what they ran. And the difference between a sub 3:00 marathon, which only a small percentage of runners ever meet (for the record, my own personal best is 3:00:33), and 4:01 is tremendous. \u00a0It reveals, if nothing else, a tremendous amount of braggadocio if not an ability to rewrite history.<\/p>\n But I’m more interested in Smith’s claim that the focus on deception is somehow a distraction from what a “real” campaign should be about: policy proposals and policy differences. \u00a0The problem is that the American public have not been fully informed about the policy options that are in front of them.<\/p>\n Thomas Riehle writes about “Americans Magical Thinking About the Budget<\/a>.” \u00a0Larry Bartels shows how Americans views of economic growth are strongly influenced by partisan bias, often overwhelming the facts<\/a>.<\/p>\n Unlike Smith, I think the story of Janesville was an obvious distortion. \u00a0Ryan can’t blame Obama for failing to support a deficit reduction plan that he himself voted against (and as all the coverage points out, Ryan was central in solidifying GOP opposition).<\/p>\n Pointing this out is a campaign tactic, to be sure, but that doesn’t also mean it cannot also be an argument about the willingness of a campaign to fess up to the record of its nominees and the implications of its proposals.<\/p>\n Personally, I’d love to see a genuine debate in this election about the future of entitlements and Medicare. \u00a0I think we should debate whether or not Social Security benefits should be taxed (I believe they should).<\/p>\n I don’t hold out much hope, however, if the media are going to let candidates\u00a0from either party<\/span> off the hook when they say things that are blatantly false or even misleading.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I can’t agree with Ben Smith about “pants on fire” politics. \u00a0Smith writes “Democrats attack on \u00a0Republican honesty is a campaign ploy, not an argument.” \u00a0He denies a charge of “cynical postmodernism,” but I think this is precisely what Smith … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.lib.umn.edu\/hutch213\/myblog\/liar-liar-pants-on-fire.jpg\")
Following close on the heels is Ryan’s claim that he ran a sub 3:00 marathon, whereas it turned out his actual time was over four hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n