Because GOP media, public has no idea, under Obama, deficit shrinking, more undocumented deported: (BOG) [View all]

....I also look at this as an example of how Republican arguments seep into the public consciousness, even when those arguments are demonstrably ridiculous. President Obama has overseen the fastest deficit reduction since World War II, but the public is convinced that the deficit is growing and Obama deserves the blame. Why would the public think that? Because Republican politicians and pundits have spent the last six years screaming about that rascally president burdening our grandchildren with out-of-control, trillion-dollar deficits. The Beltway is filled with Very Serious People who continue to characterize Obama as someone who’s fiscally reckless, spending liberally without regard for the consequences, reality be damned.

Indeed, at a certain level, I don’t entirely blame the public for being confused. From the typical person’s perspective, the deficit must be growing – otherwise it wouldn’t make any sense that the political world always seems to be making a fuss about the issue.

But the truth is, Republican apoplexy and reality are often out of sync. In fact, it’s not just the deficit – the same Bloomberg Politics Poll asked respondents, “On immigration, do you think the Obama administration has sent more or fewer undocumented immigrants back to their home countries, compared to ten years ago?”

By a nearly two-to-one margin, a majority of Americans believe Obama has deported fewer undocumented immigrants. The truth is the exact opposite.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for such widespread confusion – the public has to take some responsibility, as does the media – but I don’t think it’s an accident that bogus Republican talking points are too often accepted as fact by the American mainstream. GOP politicians and pundits excel at salesmanship, to the point that they can convince people to buy transparent nonsense....

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-public-has-no-idea-the-deficit-shrinking via msnbc