I figure they must not believe it themselves.
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I was reminded of this when I heard that Lamar Alexander's OP-ed in the Washington Post was filled with errors and lies. Truth be told, I see this kind of thing in all kinds of places, not just among Republicans.
But when I see its near ubiquity among Republicans, I think back on reading "Blinded by the Right" by David Brock who catalogs how many higher ups among Republicans are in fact gay people instrumental in the fight against their own civil rights. At first I'm struck with massive cognitive dissonance, disbelieving one could fight for something they know is wrong. But then I go back to where I started: they are lying because they don't believe in what they are doing either.
Anyway, another example:
Senator Lamar Alexander is Making Things Up
March 7th, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized
http://www.quickanded.com/2010/03/senator-lamar-alexander-is-making-things-up.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheQuickAndTheEd+%28The+Quick+and+the+Ed%29With the prospect of President Obama’s student loan bill passing through the budget reconciliation bill fast approaching, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) took to the Washington Post op-ed page to tell some lies about the bill.
Alexander, who used to be the Secretary of Education and knows better, said:
Starting in July, all 19 million students who want government-backed loans will line up at offices designated by the U.S. Education Department…the government should disclose that getting your student loan will become about as enjoyable as going to the Department of Motor Vehicles.