WTF Politics: Paul Ryan starring in a remake of Liar, Liar

Like many of you, I expect a certain level of truth-bending by politicians. It may not be right, but I'm not particularly surprised when facts and numbers are fudged a little to support their proposed policies or political victories. Until Paul Ryan entered stage right. He'd already convinced a lazy press corps and even lazier electorate that he was some kind of congressional budgetary genius - changing Medicare dramatically and using that savings not for deficit reduction as he'd like for us to believe, but rather more tax cuts for the wealthiest among us. A trick worthy of Houdini, but he wouldn't be the first or last politician to benefit from an easily produced, packaged and delivered storyline.

Rather, what struck me was his newly uncovered penchant for lying about the stuff you’d expect to hear from a guy holding court at the hotel bar trying to impress a pretty girl sitting within earshot. Ryan, who famously prides himself on an uncommon (among his congressional peers) physique, claimed in a radio interview to have a “two hour and fifty-something” marathon under his belt. He also insinuated in the same interview that he was a multiple marathon runner when in fact, his sole marathon – where he came in slightly over four hours – had taken place 20+ years ago. Not having run marathons myself (personally, I think 26.2 miles is meant to be driven), I’m humble enough to know that those who do train for and run these ridiculously long distances are of a different breed. They take pride in their running times and unfortunately for Rep. Ryan, keep records of these kinda things.

Next we hear Paul Ryan is not only Forrest Gump in his own head, but he also fancies himself an American Sir Edmund Hillary. In a 2009 newspaper interview, the P90Xing, washboard abs having Congressman claimed to have accomplished close to 40 climbs of Colorado’s “Fourteeners”. For those unfamiliar with the term (read: me), “Fourteeners” means mountains with 14,000-foot peaks. As you would imagine, crazy people who climb heights that most only want to see from inside a comfortable airplane cabin while enjoying a cocktail (read: me) take these accomplishments pretty seriously, as they should. For the second time since Ryan’s truth challenged speech at the GOP Convention, the Romney campaign had to double back and clarify the prior physical feats of their own in-house Tony Horton.

I don’t know why these little white lies would bother me any more than Ryan’s false Medicare or Bowles-Simpson deficit commission claims, but alas, they do. To me, it indicates an inherent readiness to shade over the truth and worse, the unmitigated gall to think runners, mountain climbers, media and VOTERS are too dumb to know better.