Of course it was too good to be true: Ryan never called Romney "The Stench"

[cali]

Column on Romney-Ryan Meant as Satire Is Taken as Fact
By TRIP GABRIEL

No, Representative Paul D. Ryan has not given the nickname “Stench” to Mitt Romney, despite a host of credulous journalists and bloggers who accepted as fact a column that Politico intended as satire.

The columnist, Roger Simon, used a quotation in The New York Times that was first published online Sunday in which an Iowa Republican activist, Craig Robinson, speculated about simmering tensions between Mr. Ryan and Mr. Romney, and Mr. Ryan’s future if the Romney-Ryan ticket loses in November.

“I hate to say this, but if Ryan wants to run for national office again, he’ll probably have to wash the stench of Romney off of him,’’ Mr. Robinson said.

Mr. Simon, Politico’s chief political columnist, conjured a situation in which Mr. Ryan was doing all he could on the campaign trail to distance himself from Mr. Romney. “Reportedly, he has been marching around his campaign bus, saying things like, ‘If Stench calls, take a message’ and ‘Tell Stench I’m having finger sandwiches with Peggy Noonan and will text him later,’’’ Mr. Simon wrote.

<snip>

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/column-on-romney-ryan-meant-as-satire-is-taken-as-fact/

[Bucky]

1. Politico is notorious for getting stories wrong and running rumors as truth.

It's a sloppy outfit run by insiders, so everyone treats them like they know what the fuck they're doing. It's a strictly amateur operation.

[Cali_Democrat]

2. Of course it wasn't true

But that doesn't mean it didn't have an effect

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Of course it was satire, and very funny at that.

It was Simon's riff on the actual remark about Ryan having to wash Romney's stench off him if he wants to run for office again. The fact that it was satire became pretty obvious at the remark about having finger sandwiches with Peggy Noonan, followed by the really hilarious discussion of the wretchedness of PowerPoint presentations. The problem, of course, is that Romney's campaign is so lame and awful that it has become somewhat difficult to distinguish what is actually going on from somebody's satire. Everything Romney does or says sounds like it came from The Onion.

I think they call it Poe's Law.

[DreamGypsy]

4. Craig Robinson's reply to situation...

does not include the word "satire" as far as I can find.

His comments about the statement are here: http://theiowarepublican.com/2012/the-stench-of-romney/

emphasis is mine

I don’t regret making the comment, but I will admit that I could have found a more diplomatic way to make my point. During the past three and a half years, I’ve come to prefer expressing my opinions via written commentary because it allows me to massage the message I’m trying to get across. Impromptu interviews don’t allow one such a luxury, and so, at times you actually get my full, unvarnished opinion.

All of that said, I do want to explain what I meant by saying that Paul Ryan would have to wash the stench of Romney off of him if he wants to run for national office in the future.

The “stench” I spoke of is not Mitt Romney or his current campaign. I was instead referring to the stench of being associated with a losing campaign. I particularly believe that, should the Romney/Ryan ticket fail, conservatives and Republican activists will lash out at everyone and anyone who was associated with the campaign. Why? Because beating President Obama was supposed to be easy. He was supposed to be the second coming of Jimmy Carter. Essentially, losing has never been an option for Republicans, but as Election Day nears, defeat is a real possibility.

To further explain what I meant, consider the following examples.

Rick Santorum had to wash off the stench of losing his 2006 Senate campaign before being considered as a serious presidential candidate. Santorum also had a couple of endorsements that also hounded him. Santorum had to wash off the stench of endorsing Arlen Specter in 2004 Romney in 2008. Despite his reasoning at the time, voters demanded that Santorum deal with these past associations before they felt comfortable with him moving forward.

Well, now we understand.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. The satire wasn't Craig Robinson's; it was Roger Simon's.

[DreamGypsy]

9. I understand that....

but IMHO the "stench of a losing campaign" is almost as satirically brilliant.

Unintended satire is sometimes the best satire.

Thx.

[bluedigger]

5. Is Politico supposed to be a news site, or entertainment?

[renie408]

6. It doesn't matter.

It's a little bit like being the vindicated rapist, that story is still attached to you and everybody looks at you askance forever onward.

[Raine]

8. That so many believed it is a tell on how fitting it is. nt

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

10. Perfect fit

[Dedicated Mind]

11. msnbc reorted also

I was duped also. even lawrence odonnell reported it in a clip.

[crispini]

12. Welcome to DU!

[jberryhill]

13. Team Romney should put out a press release

"Mitt Confirmed Not To Be Called 'The Stench' Inside Campaign"

It would be the best news they had to report since, what, jeez... three months?

[JI7]

14. i wouldnt be surprised if he has called him worse

maybe just to his wife or a few close people.