# Who tells the most brazen lies? And gets a pass? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 8, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724 "2009-08-08T04:38:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/21 "2009-08-08T20:55:27Z")
Rush Linbaugh and Beck tell lies all the time and get huge salaries for it. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/22 "2009-08-08T22:22:58Z")
“Alternative medicine” shitheels. My fellow leftists who happily lay into anything at all that comes out of the political right seem unperturbed by the utter bullshit these liars spew. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/23 "2009-08-08T22:27:53Z")
> [@Spartydog](#): > > Ever watch any of the programs on Fox News? Not valid. Give me examples. Specific. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/24 "2009-08-08T22:37:04Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > The OP asked to distinguish between outright lies and items for which there can be said to be legitimate controversy. > > This, on the other hand, is exactly what the OP is talking about – a blatant denial of an unambiguous fact. There it is. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/25 "2009-08-08T22:59:11Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > At its core, opposition towards gay marriage always includes the judgment that homosexuality is morally unacceptable. No, it’s not. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/26 "2009-08-09T15:45:50Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Rush Linbaugh and Beck tell lies all the time and get huge salaries for it. Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/27 "2009-08-09T16:35:20Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > I read those threads. At its core, opposition towards gay marriage always includes the judgment that homosexuality is morally unacceptable. It could simply be a person that has failed to fully think things through. It’s not automatically a lie. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/28 "2009-08-09T16:48:33Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > Cite? [http://mediamatters.org/research/200502180006](http://mediamatters.org/research/200502180006) > [@](#): > > And here are some examples of misstatements, lies, and distortions from The Rush Limbaugh Show: > > ``` > * Limbaugh lied about 9-11 Commission report > > * Limbaugh falsely claimed "Nobody ever said there was" a connection between Iraq, 9-11 attacks > > * Limbaugh misrepresented Duelfer report on Iraqi WMDs > > * Limbaugh lied about AIDS > > * Limbaugh overstated the minimum wage > > * Limbaugh made false claims about the Democratic National Convention > > * Limbaugh distorted the Kyoto Protocol > > * Limbaugh falsely accused Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) > > * Limbaugh claimed Clintons are funding Swift Boat Veterans for Truth > > * Limbaugh lied to defend Swift Boat Vets > > * Limbaugh misstated Pew report on journalists > > * Limbaugh mischaracterized the federal deficit > > * Limbaugh misstated federal education spending > > * Limbaugh lied about Bush's false uranium claim > > ``` ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/29 "2009-08-09T16:57:20Z")
As for Glenn Beck, just his historical lies in the attempt to turn liberals into fascists should be enough. > **[Glenn Beck's 'Liberal Fascism Hour': Revising history as Newspeak](http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2009/04/glenn-becks-liberal-fascism-hour.html)** > > \-- by Dave Back early last year when I was busy critiquing Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism , the question came up frequently: Why would I b... ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/30 "2009-08-09T16:57:48Z")
Jenny Mcarthy ---
**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:** [August 9, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/31 "2009-08-09T17:32:52Z")
Joe Fucking Morgan. Why Jon Miller hasn’t pushed him out of a booth window is beyond me. The man just sits there and makes up crap. Wait! Tim McCarver is worse. With his arguments that trying to get a single is selfish but running out a double-play shows team-spirit. And Joe Buck hasn’t killed him with a paperclip yet. So, Tim McCarver tells the most brazen lies and gets a pass. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/32 "2009-08-10T16:03:54Z")
Come on, let’s get this thread rolling! How about Obama? He promised to end closed door negoations around health care, and instead round table Health Care reform, and make it televised on C-SPAN so it was all in the open: > **[Obameter: | PolitiFact](https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/obameter/promise/517/health-care-reform-public-sessions-C-SPAN/)** > > PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others on its Truth-O-Meter. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/33 "2009-08-10T16:32:30Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > Rush Linbaugh and Beck tell lies all the time and get huge salaries for it. He’s not a loser? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/34 "2009-08-10T17:29:18Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > Come on, let’s get this thread rolling! > > How about Obama? He promised to end closed door negoations around health care, and instead round table Health Care reform, and make it televised on C-SPAN so it was all in the open: > > [Obameter: | PolitiFact](http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/promise/517/health-care-reform-public-sessions-C-SPAN/) No. This refers to a promise made about the future. You may fairly call it a broken promise, but it’s not by any means a lie. ---
**Author:** ![Sinaijon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dc4da7/32.png) [@Sinaijon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaijon)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/35 "2009-08-10T17:38:46Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > No. This refers to a promise made about the future. You may fairly call it a broken promise, but it’s not by any means a lie. That seems a little nitpicky. You are saying it’s only a lie if it is false at the time you say it? Does it matter if you have any intention of fulfilling the promise? If I say “Next year, I’m going to give you $1 million”, I think that’s fair to characterize as a lie, because I have no intention of fulfilling it. I can’t claim to know that Obama knew it was a lie at the time, but he certainly didn’t make any effort to keep it, so I think it’s fair to question whether he really intended too. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/36 "2009-08-10T17:39:19Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > This kind of bullshit is disingenuous in the extreme but they always get a pass because you’re a racist if you speak up about it. To be fair, just because people call those who “speak up” racist doesn’t mean a particular person speaking up isn’t actually racist. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/37 "2009-08-10T17:42:34Z")
The CEOs of the tobacco companies, testifying before congress - (paraphrasing the repeated claim) “To my knowledge, smoking does not increase the risk of cancer.” ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/38 "2009-08-10T17:48:29Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > [http://mediamatters.org/research/200502180006](http://mediamatters.org/research/200502180006) OK, let’s take the first one: a summary line says, “Limbaugh lied about 9-11 Commission report.” That link reveals this: > [@](#): > > LIMBAUGH: The [9-11 Commission] report said that Mohamed Atta did meet with an Iraqi Intelligence Agency, or agent, in Prague on April 9th of 2001. We’ve known this for a long time. In fact, the 9-11 report says: > [@](#): > > These findings cannot absolutely rule out the possibility that Atta was in Prague on April 9, 2001. He could have used an alias to travel and a passport under that alias, but this would be an exception to his practice of using his true name while traveling (as he did in January and would in July when he took his next overseas trip). My only question would be: what were Limbaugh’s actual words? “The [9-11 Commission] report said…” is the presented quote, but the use of square brackets for the words _9-11 Commission_ indicate that those were not actually used. Could Limbaugh have been referring to one of the many reports _examined_ by the 9-11 Commission? Without more, I am reluctant to call this an umambiguous lie by Limbaugh, although I certainly acknowledge that the sentence _The 9-11 Commission report said that Mohamed Atta did meet with an Iraqi Intelligence Agency, or agent, in Prague on April 9th of 2001_ is a lie. (Note the ansebce of square brackets in my version.) ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2009, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/39 "2009-08-10T17:49:52Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > That seems a little nitpicky. You are saying it’s only a lie if it is false at the time you say it? Does it matter if you have any intention of fulfilling the promise? If I say “Next year, I’m going to give you $1 million”, I think that’s fair to characterize as a lie, because I have no intention of fulfilling it. > > I can’t claim to know that Obama knew it was a lie at the time, but he certainly didn’t make any effort to keep it, so I think it’s fair to question whether he really intended too. Question away. But this isn’t a thread to question whther statements are intended to turn out as lies, but whether statements are brazen lies at the time they’re made. Obama’s doesn’t fit. ---
**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:** [August 10, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724/40 "2009-08-10T17:54:17Z")
> [@Sinaijon](#): > > That seems a little nitpicky. You are saying it’s only a lie if it is false at the time you say it? Okay, you guys are saying too many funny things lately. Did you all go to stand-up school on hardship scholarships or something? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-tells-the-most-brazen-lies-and-gets-a-pass/505724.md?page=3)