# Paul Ryan- compulsive liar? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [September 2, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401 "2012-09-02T00:00:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/1 "2012-09-02T00:00:40Z")
On top of Ryan’s acceptance speech dishonesties, I just heard today about his self-proclaimed Marathon Runner exploits (which were easily exposed as absurd exaggerations). I’m now wondering: could he be a compulsive liar? I’ve known a few, and he’s starting to remind me of them. No, I’m not an objective observer. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/2 "2012-09-02T00:43:25Z")
I think a lot of people really like to brag, and if you do something a little out of the ordinary (like run a marathon), you probably find that not many people know enough to keep your bragging in check. So it creeps. The first little while, it’s “Wow, I finished!” Then you barely finished. Then you finished and did really well. Then you finished and did incredibly well. Then you almost won. And then you won. People like other people to admire and respect them and will lie to get that respect and admiration. Not everyone, but a lot. It makes it worse when it’s such an easily debunked lie. We want people to lie to us plausibly and well! ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/3 "2012-09-02T00:45:32Z")
It seems weird. There are others who are good marathoners, but their times were recorded honestly. He probably thought no one would check. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/4 "2012-09-02T00:59:46Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > It seems weird. There are others who are good marathoners, but their times were recorded honestly. He probably thought no one would check. Then why claim _such_ an unbelievable time?! Under 3 hrs?! :dubious: That’s serious _elite_ endurance running time. I can’t believe he thought that would pass under the radar of people’s attention. Lesson here: stick to lies about politics. When your lies stray into areas which cross over into spheres that may contain _non_-headshakers, the probability of getting called on said lies increases dramatically. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/5 "2012-09-02T01:03:09Z")
he had to lie, Sarah beat his time. ---
**Author:** ![Andiethewestie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@Andiethewestie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andiethewestie)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/6 "2012-09-02T01:16:21Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Then why claim _such_ an unbelievable time?! Under 3 hrs?! :dubious: That’s serious _elite_ endurance running time. I can’t believe he thought that would pass under the radar of people’s attention. > Lesson here: stick to lies about politics. When your lies stray into areas which cross over into spheres that may contain _non_-headshakers, the probability of getting called on said lies increases dramatically. Well he’s probably an extreme narcissist, and I think his hubris is classic. He doesn’t want to appear to be less successful than others who have done the marathon (especially former VP candidates), so he will say anything because he needs to be constantly stroked to validate his image of himself. Problem is narcissists don’t care much for anyone but themselves, which is not the best attribute for a politician. ---
**Author:** ![Enkel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/df705f/32.png) [@Enkel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enkel)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/7 "2012-09-02T01:16:40Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I’m now wondering: could he be a compulsive liar? I’ve known a few, and he’s starting to remind me of them. > No, I’m not an objective observer. I read about that as well. I have experience with alcoholics, that so pinged my radar. I kept thinking, but he doesn’t look like an alcoholic… But now, if he claimed the sky was blue, I wouldn’t believe it until I checked it out for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/8 "2012-09-02T01:24:31Z")
Paul Krugman writes: > [@](#): > > I know, the [marathon] thing sounds trivial. But I remember the 2000 campaign, when Al Gore was constantly hounded by claims of fibbing on trivial issues — claims that, by the way, were all, as far as I could tell, fabricated. These alleged fibs supposedly showed some deep defect in his character. So if Ryan is making false claims about his physical prowess, this is absolutely fair game. From: [Credibility - The New York Times](http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/31/credibility/) ---
**Author:** ![BigAppleBucky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigapplebucky/32/178_2.png) [@BigAppleBucky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigAppleBucky)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/9 "2012-09-02T01:48:17Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Then why claim _such_ an unbelievable time?! Under 3 hrs?! :dubious: That’s serious _elite_ endurance running time. I can’t believe he thought that would pass under the radar of people’s attention. > Lesson here: stick to lies about politics. When your lies stray into areas which cross over into spheres that may contain _non_-headshakers, the probability of getting called on said lies increases dramatically. A bit over 4 hours is very respectable. It’s not as if he embarrassed himself. This makes one wonder just how many lies he’s gotten away with for years without someone calling him out. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/10 "2012-09-02T01:50:26Z")
The idiocy of the lie makes me think there’s something pathological going on. It hints at a lifetime of getting away with exaggerations and distortions. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/11 "2012-09-02T01:55:02Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > It hints at a lifetime of getting away with exaggerations and distortions. Well yeah, because he’s spent his entire life inside the conservative bubble. No one _wanted_ to hear any different, so he “got away with it” until he crossed over into territory that wasn’t 100% political (endurance running) and continued spouting ass-hattery. Since he’s never experienced anything other than conservative-bubble back-patting, he was completely unaware that normal people don’t gobble up his words with a ladle. I don’t think it’s necessarily pathological; rather it’s learned behavior. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/12 "2012-09-02T01:56:34Z")
I’m a pretty shitty runner, and my marathon time was only slightly slower than that. The real time, that is, not the fibbed one. GW Bush ran his in 3:44. That’s pretty respectable. What a stupid, stupid thing to lie about. > [@BAB](#): > > A bit over 4 hours is very respectable. It’s not as if he embarrassed himself. Not for someone who considers himself an athlete. But he ran his when he was 20, so maybe he wasn’t as much into endurance athletics at the time. Marathoning is more of an older person’s sports. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/13 "2012-09-02T02:59:47Z")
At the risk of sounding like I’m defending him, I wonder if the campaign shares some of the responsibility. I can see Ryan being pressured to play up his athleticism to add some flavor to an otherwise milquetoast ticket. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/14 "2012-09-02T03:06:07Z")
He said he was rounding. Maybe he’s not a liar. Maybe he’s just not good at math. His budget idea sort of gives me that impression. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/15 "2012-09-02T03:14:11Z")
> [@Andiethewestie](#): > > It seems weird. There are others who are good marathoners, but their times were recorded honestly. He probably thought no one would check. I said this when he got caught in a lie over the stimulus program: Ryan hasn’t caught up to the much higher exposure level of being a VP candidate. ---
**Author:** ![Untoward\_Parable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/51bf81/32.png) [@Untoward\_Parable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Untoward_Parable)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/16 "2012-09-02T04:53:26Z")
Ya the lying by the Repub candidates themselves is pretty darn bad this go around. Just shows how desperate and morally bankrupt they are. Not like Obama is a saint but these guys are completely unreliable to be telling the truth at any time. ---
**Author:** ![moonshot925](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@moonshot925](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moonshot925)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/17 "2012-09-02T05:17:10Z")
Paul Ryan has seen the writing on the wall regarding unfunded liabilities - entitlement spending - and sees the ensuing trainwreck that could lead to the bankruptcy of federal, state and local governments. Ryan wants to slow the rate of growth of the misguided ponzi schemes (Medicare, Social Security, etc…) in an attempt to sustain their viability, not kill them. LBJs Great Society has been an abject failure and has only succeeded in creating class warfare guerillas with their socialist entitlement mentality. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/18 "2012-09-02T05:21:46Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Well yeah, because he’s spent his entire life inside the conservative bubble. No one _wanted_ to hear any different, so he “got away with it” until he crossed over into territory that wasn’t 100% political (endurance running) and continued spouting ass-hattery. Since he’s never experienced anything other than conservative-bubble back-patting, he was completely unaware that normal people don’t gobble up his words with a ladle. I don’t think it’s necessarily pathological; rather it’s learned behavior. This has been my sense about him, too, since even before Romney picked him. He’s learning to be the fabrication that the party has chosen him to be. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/19 "2012-09-02T05:29:41Z")
> [@moonshot925](#): > > Paul Ryan has seen the writing on the wall regarding unfunded liabilities - entitlement spending - and sees the ensuing trainwreck that could lead to the bankruptcy of federal, state and local governments. > > Ryan wants to slow the rate of growth of the misguided ponzi schemes (Medicare, Social Security, etc..) in an attempt to sustain their viability, not kill them. > > LBJs Great Society has been an abject failure and has only succeeded in creating class warfare guerillas with their socialist entitlement mentality. And this has what to do with Ryan’s propensity for untruths? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401/20 "2012-09-02T06:03:18Z")
> [@moonshot925](#): > > Paul Ryan has seen the writing on the wall regarding unfunded liabilities - entitlement spending - and sees the ensuing trainwreck that could lead to the bankruptcy of federal, state and local governments. > > Ryan wants to slow the rate of growth of the misguided ponzi schemes (Medicare, Social Security, etc..) in an attempt to sustain their viability, not kill them. > > LBJs Great Society has been an abject failure and has only succeeded in creating class warfare guerillas with their socialist entitlement mentality. … [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/paul-ryan-compulsive-liar/633401.md?page=2)