We're getting down to the wire in this election season. With the sound bites and internet memes flying fast and furious, it is even more critical that we do all we can to educate and enlighten everyone we can while there's still time. It's critical that we call "bullshit" when someone lies. It's important that we know where Mitt Romney and President Obama stand on the issues that are important to us. Sure, that sounds simple enough, but with Mitt Romney it gets a lot more complicated. With increasing frequency, Mitt Romney, Mitt's campaign handlers and Paul Ryan take individual stands on important issues that is in direct contrast with the other two members of the group. More and more "gaffes" are being reported by the press, illuminating the fact that Romney, Ryan and company are running a campaign of smoke and mirrors. They're trying to paint pretty pictures to cover up the ugliness of their agenda.
Take for example, Paul Ryan's visit to the St. Vincent de Paul Society in Mahoning County Ohio. Campaign spokesperson Michael Steel called the visit, "A great opportunity to highlight the importance of volunteerism and local charities." Sounds pretty noble. The campaign wanted people to know that Paul Ryan believes in volunteering. Good man. So Ryan, along with his wife and children go in, put on some aprons and wash a few dishes. Whether the dishes were clean or dirty before Ryan got to them is in question. What it boiled down to was that Ryan popped in, soaped up a few dishes while the cameras rolled-- long after the real work of serving breakfast to 180 homeless men, women and children was done. This was done without the consent or knowledge of the President of the charity. The campaign staff got permission from a volunteer (who had no authority to grant permission). No scandal there--just a mistake on the part of an innocent volunteer, and actually the campaign's undoing.
Had the campaign gone through the proper channels and obtained permission to stage a photo-op at the soup kitchen, the public would have been left with the impression that Ryan and his family had actually spent time working the breakfast shift at a soup kitchen and made a contribution to that Mahoning County community. That's a powerful message. And that's far, far from what actually happened. Ryan and the fam didn't contribute to that community--he used that community. He exploited the good works of dedicated volunteers to give voters the impression that he cares enough to offer his time to an Ohio community with no expectation for anything in return. I call bullshit on Paul Ryan and his family. It deservedly blew up in their faces and exposed them as frauds.
If Paul Ryan were an honest man, he would have stopped by that soup kitchen in Ohio and told those volunteers to brace themselves, because he is the one who wrote a budget proposal that would cut food stamps by $134 billion dollars over ten years. Tell me, does that seem like a man who cares about feeding hungry people?
Most of the people I know when questioned about this particular Ryan gaffe, just called the candidate a "dumb-ass" and laughed at his foible. I take it a bit more seriously. What lies underneath the internet memes is a serious attempt to mislead the American people. Below the surface lies two men who will say and do anything to achieve the power that the highest offices in the land brings to them. They present themselves as what they think you want to see. They don't give a damn about truth or honesty. If they reach the White House, they're going to owe a lot of wealthy people a lot of favors. And in order to pay back those debts they incurred along the campaign trail, they're going to have to hurt a lot of insignificant people to achieve the ends that (in their minds) justify the means. Those insignificant people are you and I.
It's something to think about while you're chuckling at the buffoon who was washing clean dishes and got caught. It's indicative of something far more sinister. Beyond the fake Romney laugh and the seemingly polite Midwestern every man lies a power hungry duo who will stop at nothing to achieve their desires--no matter who gets hurt.
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