Run, Paul, run!

[AMax 0]

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/09/03/paul-ryans-marathon-time-not-so-fast/
Like everything else is this race ...

[beeman 0]

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http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2012/09/03/paul-ryans-marathon-time-not-so-fast/
Like everything else is this race ...

This is stupid for two reasons.

1. Why in the hell would you lie about something like that as a US VP candidate?

2. This has absolutely no relevance at all. Just one more thing to distract people from actually thinking about anything that matters.

well...I was going skydiving anyway. let's go.
Earn your pancakes.

[AMax 0]

As someone very new to this community, you should carefully read the form rules. Not following them may result in a ban.
To answer your questions:
1) Apparently, he did lie. You may want to check the actual transcript.
2) Those who cast the ballots have the right to know whether presidential candidates and their running mates tell the truth. Therefore, the article is perfectly relevant.

[Shotgun 1]

Reading the transcript, I get the impression that he wasn't intentionally lying. It was a long time ago, and it doesn't sound like he's made a hobby of running races since then, so he probably didn't remember what his time was (maybe he could have just said that, but everyone makes mistakes). I mean, he's a VP candidate, and he must know that lots of people are watching him closely to find any little thing to make a big deal about. And he has nothing to gain by lying about it, so it makes no sense that he would intentionally lie about such a silly thing.

[quade 3]

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1. Why in the hell would you lie about something like that as a US VP candidate?

For the same reason idiots make up lies about a lot of stuff...to make themselves sound more awesome than they really are.

Why is this relevant?

Precisely because he's running for US VP. It speaks to general honesty and trustworthiness...if not, then his mental condition of being unable to remember his time running his one and apparently only marathon. Not something most people would forget. If he ran hundreds of marathons, I could understand it, but his only one? That's stupid. That's like forgetting the name of the person with whom you lost your virginity or name of the DZ you made your first jump at or number of your BUD/S class. If a person really did it, they absolutely are going to remember.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[rhaig 0]

It's as relevant as a worn out presidential candidate saying there are 58 states.

--
Rob

[quade 3]

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It's as relevant as a worn out presidential candidate saying there are 58 states.

Ah...cool...then you're ready to let that one go? Awesome.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[rhaig 0]

dude... I let it go when it was reported. I may have even posted about it here. But it's not so important that I go find it. I may have used that quite for shit-stirring here, but seriously...

a guy runs a marathon 20 something years ago, was probably semi-conscious when he finished, and says "Under three, high twos. I had a two hour and fifty-something" sounds to me like he doesn't recall. and he was wrong by an hour. not a trivial amount, but politically a trivial event, and if that's all the news has to talk about, then either he's pretty damn clean, or they need to work harder.

--
Rob

[quade 3]

In all honesty, I don't give a crap about Ryan other than his Randian view of the world which I think is quite dangerous and hypocritical and disingenuous and cherry picked from "Atlas Shrugged."

Whether he does PX90, runs marathons or whatever the fuck else he does pales in comparison to the selfish bullshit he bought into when he was a 14-year-old.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[masterblaster72 0]

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Reading the transcript, I get the impression that he wasn't intentionally lying. It was a long time ago, and it doesn't sound like he's made a hobby of running races since then, so he probably didn't remember what his time was (maybe he could have just said that, but everyone makes mistakes). I mean, he's a VP candidate, and he must know that lots of people are watching him closely to find any little thing to make a big deal about. And he has nothing to gain by lying about it, so it makes no sense that he would intentionally lie about such a silly thing.

I think he's full of shit and deliberately lied. There is a huge difference between his unimpressive real time of 4:01 (average guy) and 2:5x (super for a non-professional athlete). You would either have to be senile or lying deliberately to mix up those finish times.

Be humble, ask questions, listen, learn, follow the golden rule, talk when necessary, and know when to shut the fuck up.

[kelpdiver 2]

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I think he's full of shit and deliberately lied. There is a huge difference between his unimpressive real time of 4:01 (average guy) and 2:5x (super for a non-professional athlete). You would either have to be senile or lying deliberately to mix up those finish times.

Yep.

Anyone that ran a single marathon is going to remember the time. Particularly the fitness buffs, which he undoubtably would be considered. No, he was counting on the fact that race records from that era weren't so well recorded as any 5k and up is these days.

But it was a dumb move- for a 20yo doing his first, esp one that's more of a body builder type, 4:01 is perfectly respectable, if 1 minute slower than you'd like. But 2:50s invites attention...and now ridicule.

[likearock 1]

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Quote

I think he's full of shit and deliberately lied. There is a huge difference between his unimpressive real time of 4:01 (average guy) and 2:5x (super for a non-professional athlete). You would either have to be senile or lying deliberately to mix up those finish times.

Yep.

Anyone that ran a single marathon is going to remember the time. Particularly the fitness buffs, which he undoubtably would be considered. No, he was counting on the fact that race records from that era weren't so well recorded as any 5k and up is these days.

But it was a dumb move- for a 20yo doing his first, esp one that's more of a body builder type, 4:01 is perfectly respectable, if 1 minute slower than you'd like. But 2:50s invites attention...and now ridicule.

While Republicans love to strip everything of its context, let's not forget that we're talking about the same guy that can't help himself when stretching the truth. He's a serial liar. Period.

[beeman 0]

Quote

As someone very new to this community, you should carefully read the form rules. Not following them may result in a ban.
To answer your questions:
1) Apparently, he did lie. You may want to check the actual transcript.
2) Those who cast the ballots have the right to know whether presidential candidates and their running mates tell the truth. Therefore, the article is perfectly relevant.

Ok first of all I have read the rules. Relax.

Second, you mistook the point of my post. I wasn't calling you or your post stupid, I was calling what he did stupid. Why he saw the need to talk his marathon time up given his current position is beyond me.

And while honesty is relevant, this is hardly a good sample for political actions. Why not analyze his speaking record vs. his voting record. How honest has he been to his campaign promises with his voting? How has his voting changed over time?

Those are things that are relevant. Most of the political content I've seen lately is trivial things like "58 states" and this, or tax records and birth certificates. Sure those things say something, but nothing when compared to analyzing how these candidates are going to handle foreign policy, the budget, domestic social policy. People eat it up too, and as long as they focus on the little things, they forget the very real problems we have.

I don't even like Mittens and Paul Ryan and don't support them. I'm just tired of seeing political arguments with no content. Hell, Obama's campaign ran an ad that said nothing except Mitt Romney keeps money in foreign banks, he is the 1%. That was it.

Since when is "because I'm better than the other guy" a valid argument.

well...I was going skydiving anyway. let's go.
Earn your pancakes.

[beeman 0]

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Whether he does PX90, runs marathons or whatever the fuck else he does pales in comparison to the selfish bullshit he bought into when he was a 14-year-old.

exactly. In the scope of things that matter for a VP candidate, this is nothing.

well...I was going skydiving anyway. let's go.
Earn your pancakes.

[normiss 622]

Some what to believe that what you do at 14 reflects on your whole life?
Nonsense.

[beeman 0]

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Some what to believe that what you do at 14 reflects on your whole life?
Nonsense.

fair enough. The point was more that what he has bought into politically matters more than how he stays fit...

Edit: or that he talks up how fit he is or was.

well...I was going skydiving anyway. let's go.
Earn your pancakes.

[quade 3]

Quote

Some what to believe that what you do at 14 reflects on your whole life?
Nonsense.

Him reading the book isn't the issue.

Him basing his political philosophy on it is.

If I was running as a VP candidate and told you I based my entire political philosophy on a poorly written piece of fiction promoting being an asshole, yes, I think most people would have an issue with it.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[lawrocket 3]

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It speaks to general honesty and trustworthiness

(1) He's a VP
(2) If weighing Ryan versus Biden in the general honesty history, then Biden is at a very big disadvatange. (Of course, Biden's history of lying is much longer - Biden's lies cover issues that occurred before Ryan was even born).

What's next? Patriots fans going to accuse the Jets of cheating?

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[kallend 1,622]

"Yeah, that's the GOP ticket"

Ryan is giving Tommy Flanagan a run for his money.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[billvon 2,391]

>2. This has absolutely no relevance at all.

Agreed. It's not worth talking about. He's a politician; he lies. But perhaps it would be better to talk about his honesty on an issue that actually matters.

[kelpdiver 2]

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>2. This has absolutely no relevance at all.

Agreed. It's not worth talking about. He's a politician; he lies. But perhaps it would be better to talk about his honesty on an issue that actually matters.

dunno - seems like if he's going to lie about something that doesn't matter at all, what does that say (even if we forget his speech last week) about his willingness to lie about things that do?

At the very least it points to a heaping dose of vanity.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

(2) If weighing Ryan versus Biden in the general honesty history, then Biden is at a very big disadvatange. (Of course, Biden's history of lying is much longer - Biden's lies cover issues that occurred before Ryan was even born).

Of course - he's had much longer to build up that body of work. Next week I'm sure he'll rip off Ryan and talk about how he ran 2:50 in the original marathon.

[billvon 2,391]

>dunno - seems like if he's going to lie about something that doesn't matter at all, what
>does that say (even if we forget his speech last week) about his willingness to lie about
>things that do?

Maybe. I equate his statement to the statements from skydivers who went to Nationals once and their scores get a bit better every time they tell the story. Just not that big a deal, to me.

[kelpdiver 2]

Quote

>dunno - seems like if he's going to lie about something that doesn't matter at all, what
>does that say (even if we forget his speech last week) about his willingness to lie about
>things that do?

Maybe. I equate his statement to the statements from skydivers who went to Nationals once and their scores get a bit better every time they tell the story. Just not that big a deal, to me.

for the times we're talking about - it would be akin to a whuffo with a tandem or two under his belt claiming to have placed at Nationals.

[Shotgun 1]

Quote

Quote

Reading the transcript, I get the impression that he wasn't intentionally lying. It was a long time ago, and it doesn't sound like he's made a hobby of running races since then, so he probably didn't remember what his time was (maybe he could have just said that, but everyone makes mistakes). I mean, he's a VP candidate, and he must know that lots of people are watching him closely to find any little thing to make a big deal about. And he has nothing to gain by lying about it, so it makes no sense that he would intentionally lie about such a silly thing.

I think he's full of shit and deliberately lied. There is a huge difference between his unimpressive real time of 4:01 (average guy) and 2:5x (super for a non-professional athlete). You would either have to be senile or lying deliberately to mix up those finish times.

Hey, I don't know much about running. I ran in a 5K about two years ago, and I don't remember now what my time was. I wouldn't even know what is considered an average or excellent time (off the top of my head). So I guess it made sense to me that he could make such a mistake.

Anyhow, I doubt this one thing will change anyone's vote one way or another. Anyone who cares about this, probably wasn't going to vote for him anyway. And some of us who don't care about this weren't going to vote for him anyway.