“Romney didn’t win, did he?”
—Senator Harry Reid to CNN’s Dana Bash, when she asked him whether he regretted his outright lie during the 2012 Presidential campaign accusing GOP nominee Mitt Romney of not paying any taxes at all for the past 10 years.
As bad as Reid looks, what lies beneath is infinitely worse…
This is the Unethical Quote of The Millennium because it is literally impossible to say anything that demonstrates more contempt for ethical values. Moreover, Reid announced his ethical void on national TV with evident satisfaction and a complete lack of shame, making him a fick--someone who revels in being unethical.
In the old days, it was called “evil.”
Here, I’ll let Chris Cillizza, a Washington Post political reporter, explain what is so wrong with this despicable quote, the watermark of a totally corrupt political figure and deplorable human being:
“Think about that logic for a minute. What Reid is saying is that it’s entirely immaterial whether what he said about Romney and his taxes was true. All that mattered was that Romney didn’t win…
[T]he fact that this all-means-justify-the-ends logic — assuming the end is your desired one — is absolutely toxic for politics and, more importantly, democracy. …If you can lie — or, at a minimum, mislead based on scant information or rumor — then anything is justified in pursuit of winning. This sort of “the winners make the rules” approach is part of the broader partisan problem facing Washington and the polarization afflicting the nation more broadly. There is no trust between the two parties because they believe — and have some real justification for believing — that the other side will say and do literally anything to win.
Think about Reid’s statement in another context. I have two little kids. What if I told my son, who has just started playing soccer, that his only aim was to win the game — no matter how he accomplished that goal. After all, it’s not cheating unless someone can prove it, right? Would anyone think that was either (a) good parenting or (b) broadly beneficial for society? No. That is the same logic Reid is applying here, but because we are all inured to the horribleness that is modern political strategy, people barely bat an eye. No, politics ain’t beanbag. I get that. But allowing elected officials to say anything they want about people running for office — and requiring zero proof in order to report those claims — seems to be a bridge too far. And to defend that behavior by saying, “Well, we won, didn’t we?” feels like the junior high school logic that shouldn’t be employed by the men and women trusted with representing us in Washington — or anywhere else.
And think about something else: Reid has been the leader of his party in the Senate. These are the values he has been modeling for Democratic Party officials; this is the rotten core of the political culture he has been nurturing for decades…and he is proud of it. Imagine the damage this wretched, vile man has done in the back corridors of power to the United States of America.
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Pointer: Instapundit
Source: Washington Post
Ethics Alarms 
You hit the nail on the head, my friend.
Even with my previously established low opinion of Reid, this one made me physically ill.
Yeah, just imagine. I can’t imagine anything that vile, I’d need help from a psychopath.
It reminds me of a former friend of mine who was justifying her child shooting another one with a bb gun “At least he hit him.”
I hate to quibble, but that isn’t analogous. In your friend’s case, out of all the wrong being wrought, she was trying to find a slight positive…that at least her son has a stable aim and skill with firearms…which taken by itself IS NOT A BAD THING.
Things that make you go hmmmmmmm.
I wonder if anyone realizes that if you engage in outright lying to gain and maintain political power, the only opponents you will have are those who would do the same.
I know a few cynical ficks like Reid who hold local and state office. They all know my low opinion of them. In social settings when I have been obligated by convention to shake their hands, I then can’t get to soap and water fast enough. I detest such people and their enablers, and can only work and wait impatiently for their downfall. Great piece, Jack!
I hope he drops dead right after he retires, scumbag.
Wow! Isn’t he justifying all the commentators asking about his relationship with the mob, er, I mean, exercise equipment?
Ah double post… feel free to delete one.
He’s justifying the conduct of his exercise equipment.
Can you post the full clip?
CNN has broken it all up…this the best I could find: http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/31/politics/harry-reid-dana-bash-interview/
You give him too much credit, Jack. I’m sure he was just reading a script provided him by Paul Begala.
Is it too soon to ask for a re-consideration of the ethics verdict renderedin the “Hating Harry Reid” post?
Romney should sue him all the way to the poor house for defamation. If it was a blatant lie, he might have a case. It would serve him right.
-Jut
Isn’t there some absolute exception to libel and slander for political speech?
The information I’ve seen is that all Politicians who make statements on the Senate/House Floor, when in session, are legally protected from being sued for lying. This slimy scum obviously and cynically used this protection to tell lies about Romney, the Koch Brothers and who know how many others.
That is true, and you can also say almost anything about a public figure and not be found liable of defamation. A lawsuit would be too long a shot to even try.
Politicians…ALL politicians…firmly believe that their way and ONLY their way will “save the country”. They are, therefore, willing to lie, cheat and steal to win, secure in the belief that the “Others” winning would be a disaster of epic proportions. See Barrack Obama, and his approach to the Presidency to see how well that works.
All Reid did was build on the foundation that Ted Kennedy laid with the bodies of betrayed Vietnam veterans and their allies. Like Big Teddy, Reid has every expectation of getting away scot free with his numerous crimes against America.
The problem is that he cannot be prosecuted or even held accountable for his lies, because, as Jack mentioned, his position leaves him immune. Might be worthwhile to see about changing that.