What's the biggest fib you're hearing in politics?

This is a very good question, but it’s impossible to really know what a trusted source even is, anymore…..

How about the birther ‘controversy’ about President Obama’s birth as a U.S. citizen ?
This zombie issue just won’t die.

“Tax cuts for the rich create jobs.”
In fact if the rich have more income they just bank it in hedge funds.
When top income tax rates are high, the wealthy leave more of their money in their investments instead of taking it as income – and that creates jobs.

Well, @slenderella, one example for me is climate change. I believe it’s a proven fact that we’re in the middle of it, but many pols are still denying it, at least publicly. Also many things have been said about President Obama that research proves are lies.

When candidate Romney claimed Jeep was moving U.S. auto manufacturing jobs to China, he was called out by the Chrysler CEO as making an ‘inaccurate’ statement. It sounded like a bold faced lie to me.

Pols on both sides have become such accomplished prevaricators, it’s become difficult to pin them down. Logical arguments don’t make good sound bites.

The biggest lie, as far as I’m concerned, is the Republican insistence on budget cutting. They say that will help the economy. In my opinion, that will keep the economy from getting better. The problem is that it’s hard to say it’s a lie if you think they believe it. So I guess they are just misguided and ignorant. Typical Republican elected officials.

Taking money out of the economy via taxation slows growth, even if the revenue was intended for long-term investment in things like infrastructure. However, cutting spending into the economy is magical and does not threaten recovery at all. Money is fungible, not magical. It makes no difference whether the government or FexEx buys 1,000 delivery vans. The order creates the same number of jobs.

I’d say the height of inanity is when legislators who have government jobs paying $174,000 per year or more line up to claim government can never create jobs. Government created their jobs.

@bossob

According to Reuters it’s not a lie. Chrysler, in which Fiat has a 58.5 percent stake, said on Tuesday it had agreed to make Jeeps in China with Guangzhou Automobile Group (601238.SS).. Sounds like Romney was dead on with his statement. Chrysler intends to manufacture 100,000 Jeeps in China. Expandable to 200,000 if they have demand. It’s not a lie if they actually do it.

@Jaxk The Chrysler CEO himself said that they were going to build a plant in China to produce cars for that market to avoid import duties, just like other car manufacturers are doing. They aren’t for export. It’s not taking American jobs away like Romney said; in fact, Jeep is expanding their production here.

@Jaxk Could you show me where in the article you linked is there any reference or claim or suggestion that production is being moved from the US to China, which is what Romney’s claim had been.

C’mon guys. If they build 100,000 jeeps in China, that is 100,000 less that they build here. Spin it however you like.

Not if they would never build those jeeps here. And given the import restrictions, it seems like those jeeps couldn’t be built here. On the other hand, the profits can be repatriated.

when Obama said he would not raise taxes on the middle class

@Jaxk That’s nonsense, and you either know it, or definitely should. China imposes import duties on US manufactured automobiles. A US made Jeep imported to China sells for almost $200,000 US dollars there. How much opportunity is there to build Jeeps here and sell them in the world’s largest auto market playing by those rules?

Creating jobs.

Jobs are mainly created in the private sector and heavily influenced by having a well-educated and innovative workforce. Politics can make education a priority. Politics can create incentives for expensive innovation for example in green technology because of the long-term benefit. Politics can regulate the financial markets so that severe crises become less likely in the future.

As al;ways you guys take a fragment of information and base your whole argument on it. We have a global market and cars made in China don’t necessarily stay in China. Once you have the manufacturing capacity, you sell those cars all across the world. Just because they aren’t imported to the US doesn’t mean they don’t affect the US.

@wundayatta – The profits can be repatriated but since that would cost 10% off the top, it is more likely they will be used to expend overseas.

We like having dollars floating around in the rest of the world. It makes our economy stronger.

@Jaxk I see it differently. I see that, as always, you cling to your far-right rhetoric and beliefs no matter how at odds your beliefs may be with the facts. The fact is that a Jeep made in China and shipped to the USA would cost significantly more than one made right here. Because of that, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia, Isuzu, BMW and Subaru, among others, are made in the USA. Many of their US models are even designed here.

Jeep would forfeit access to the world’s largest auto market if they insisted on manufacturing cars here for export to China. And that would be a serious loss, because young, upwardly mobile Chinese love Jeeps. They are a status symbol car to drive there. But when they sell for as much as a Rolls Royce, they are out of reach of nearly all of the Chinese automobile buyers.

@ETpro

As always you seem to spout facts that are irrelevant and try to make a case based on them. If you even read my post I don’t say they will ship from China to the USA, in fact I said they won’t. Where we run into trouble is with the rest of the world. If you buy a jeep in Brazil, it was made in Toledo. Once the China operation is up and running, it may very well be built in China. One more export for China, one less for the US.

With the Chinese production starting at 100,000 and expanding to 200.000, it is likely that US production will decline even though no Chinese autos will be sold in the US. That’s how international trade works. Bone up on it.

@Jaxk Wow, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Jeep sold 532,972 vehicles in 2012. Of those, 33,463 were sold in China. By being able to sell Jeeps in the world’s largest auto market at what they should cost, instead of the inflated prices Chinese import duties require of vehicles made here, Jeep’s Chinese sales will skyrocket while US sales will stay in the 500,000 + range.