Painful

Many news outlets have done a good job in debunking the falsehoods and distortions in Paul Ryan’s speech. That said, you should watch this video compilation that TPM has posted, in which news anchors just don’t seem all that bothered by Ryan’s dishonesty, or even try to explain away the importance or significance of it:

It’s probably not fair to say this is representative, but it’s pretty eye-opening stuff. You really have to love the tone of surprise some of these folks bring to the idea that Ryan just might have been less than truthful here and there. Haven’t they been paying attention to this campaign at all?

This sort of thing, by the way, is exactly what the Romney campaign is banking on: that influential reporters and news outlets will prove unable to keep up with the sheer scope and volume of falsehoods the campaign uncorks daily, or just won’t care enough to reckon with what’s actually going on here. Again, this is a test: what should media figures do when one campaign has decided that there is literally no set of boundaries it needs to follow when it comes to the veracity of the assertions that form the foundation of its whole argument?

On the one hand, it does seem like we’re seeing some stirrings on the part of the news media to take what’s happening here seriously. On the other, we’re not seeing anything like the response it merits. Josh Marshall sees this as a kind of drop-dead moment; we’ll know more after tomorrow’s coverage of Romney’s speech which way this is headed.

By the way, this epic mendacity very well may work for the Romney/Ryan campaign. What sort of precedent will that set? Media figures love to talk about their profession, don’t they? Maybe this is a topic that deserves a bit of debate.