There are lies … and then there are more lies. And we’re not talking about harmless butler-style white lies. These lies are so red, they make Carrot Top’s hair look like a neutral shade of auburn. With the GOP mass-producing and selling their lies as truths, how do we determine fact from faux?
If only there were something, a myth-busting machine or a lie-seeking boomerang. Or how about a book that just gives it to us straight, lays out the myth and tells us the unadulterated truth? Ding ding! We’re in luck. JP Bernbach’s book “Pack of Lies” categorizes these lies as “crimes against democracy” and sets the record straight for 40 of America’s conservative myths. And luckily, no magical boomerangs or fancy machines are required.
Here are four of them (and for the rest go here!):
1. Liberals want to wage a war against Christianity.
The fact? Bernbach explains that there are more Christians in the United States who identify themselves as Democrats than Republicans. A small, but glowing example? The national Christmas tree outside the White House lit every year by the president.
2. Cutting taxes increases revenue.
Bernbach’s truth? When the taxes have been cut by notably conservative presidents, the debt in fact went up and revenues did not. One example? He adds that in Ronald Reagan’s eight years, the debt tripled.
3. The GOP is the party of fiscal responsibility.
Bernbach connects this one to the previous lie. Cutting taxes allows the GOP to do something very popular with the public. In order to compete with the Democratic Party and gain power, the conservatives felt they needed to energize voters. Bernbach explains that tax cuts and this lie was the thing.
4. China owns most of the U.S. debt.
Bernbach argues that some lies have been designed to influence the public to support their conservative candidates. He adds that this method predominantly results in confusion, which seems to be a popular mechanism used by the party. The reality? Bernbach shares that China in fact only owns about 7.5 percent of America’s debt.
Bernbach joins Jennifer Granholm tonight to elaborate and discuss. Here’s what he said.
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