Was Mitt Romney's Jeep ad really the 'lie of the year'?
Politifact shames the "brazenly false" commercial as 2012's biggest whopper


You lie! That's the message Politifact sent Mitt Romney today in billboard-size letters, proclaiming the defeated GOP candidate's controversial Jeep ad the "lie of the year." The commercial claimed that President Obama had "sold Chrysler to Italians who are going to build Jeeps in China" — all at the cost of American jobs. The false claim was furiously refuted by the Obama campaign, numerous media outlets, and Chrysler itself. At the time, Politifact gave the ad a "pants on fire" rating. The Washington Post said it was worth four Pinocchios. Yet the Romney campaign — which famously said it would not "be dictated by fact-checkers" — refused to take the ad down. Watch it for yourself:
Of course, in a victory for the truth, the ad backfired on Romney, underscoring his opposition to the auto bailouts and cementing the impression that he would say anything to get elected.
But was it really the lie of the year? There were some serious contenders for the top prize, like Paul Ryan's tearful story about how Obama's policies failed to save a General Motors plant in Ryan's hometown of Janesville, Wis. Or Harry Reid's completely unsubstantiated claim, repeated with venomous glee, that Romney hadn't paid any taxes over a 10-year period. And as Politifact's Angie Drobnic Holan notes, Obama didn't exactly behave like Honest Abe:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It’s not that President Obama and his campaign team were above falsehoods, either. Their TV ads distorted Romney’s positions on abortion and immigration to make them seem more extreme than they actually were. A pro-Obama super PAC even created an ad suggesting Romney was responsible for a woman’s death when her husband lost his job at a Bain-controlled company.
But the Jeep ad was brazenly false.
It is the fourth time that Politifact has awarded a lie of the year. In 2011, it was the Democratic claim that Republicans had voted to end Medicare. In 2010, the notion, still widely held, that ObamaCare is a government takeover of the health care system. And in 2009, it was that ObamaCare would create death panels, a Sarah Palin gem.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.
-
What does the Le Pen verdict mean for the future of French politics?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION Convicted of embezzlement and slapped with a five year ban on running for public office, where does arch-conservative Marine Le Pen go from here — and will the movement she leads follow?
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Discount stores were thriving. How did they stumble?
The Explainer Blame Walmart — and inflation
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Kaja Kallas: the EU's new chief diplomat shaping the future of European defense
In the Spotlight Former Estonian Prime Minister's status as an uncompromising Russia hawk has gone from liability to strength
By David Faris Published
-
The JFK files: the truth at last?
In The Spotlight More than 64,000 previously classified documents relating the 1963 assassination of John F. Kennedy have been released by the Trump administration
By The Week Staff Published
-
'Seriously, not literally': how should the world take Donald Trump?
Today's big question White House rhetoric and reality look likely to become increasingly blurred
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will Trump's 'madman' strategy pay off?
Today's Big Question Incoming US president likes to seem unpredictable but, this time round, world leaders could be wise to his playbook
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Democrats vs. Republicans: who are the billionaires backing?
The Explainer Younger tech titans join 'boys' club throwing money and support' behind President Trump, while older plutocrats quietly rebuke new administration
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
US election: where things stand with one week to go
The Explainer Harris' lead in the polls has been narrowing in Trump's favour, but her campaign remains 'cautiously optimistic'
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Trump okay?
Today's Big Question Former president's mental fitness and alleged cognitive decline firmly back in the spotlight after 'bizarre' town hall event
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
The life and times of Kamala Harris
The Explainer The vice-president is narrowly leading the race to become the next US president. How did she get to where she is now?
By The Week UK Published
-
Will 'weirdly civil' VP debate move dial in US election?
Today's Big Question 'Diametrically opposed' candidates showed 'a lot of commonality' on some issues, but offered competing visions for America's future and democracy
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published