OK, OK, I Guess it's not Technically Lying

I think I've been inexact in my criticisms of Paul Ryan's mendacious speech at the Republican convention, and realized the tactics that he and the Romney campaign are using to try to maintain plausible deniability while they run the most dishonest campaign in history.  For example:

• Ryan slams Obama for cutting $716 Billion from Medicare in order to fund health care in the Affordable Care Act.  That's not technically a lie- ObamaCare really does extract savings from Medicare that it will put toward the expenses in the law.  But Ryan's budget proposals also cut that same $716 Billion, and use the money to fund upper income tax cuts.  So he can say: "that's not a lie!", but it's not honest either.
• Ryan claims that the Obama administration is giving waivers to states that will allow them to end the work requirement for welfare.  OK, this actually is a lie.  Well, a half-lie- the administration is indeed giving waivers, but the purpose is not to end work requirements.
• Ryan slams Obama for presiding over a huge increase in the deficit. Again, not a lie, in that the deficit is pretty big.  But his plan of tax cuts along with unspecified spending cuts would undoubtedly make the deficit even bigger. 
• Ryan's plans for Medicare would change the program in a major way, eventually forcing Seniors to pay much more out of pocket for health care.  Ryan bizarrely claims that he will be saving Medicare, which Obama will destroy by taking that $716 Billion.  So that's a lie- except that the plan doesn't kick in until later, and no current Seniors will have to suffer this plan.  So I guess it's not technically a lie- only us middle aged suckers are going to lose Medicare, not the current elderly.  But there's a bait and switch- the reason Seniors will be totally fine is because the plan doesn't apply to them, while those of us it will apply to are screwed.
• Ryan told a story about Obama promising an auto plant in his hometown that government support would be able to keep it open.... but it closed.  This was the biggest whopper all night, because that plant closed before Obama's inauguration.  But again, I guess a Clintonian prevaricator could say that it's not technically a lie- just totally misleading.

There's more- Jon Cohn has a lot here.  The Republicans have really figured out how to run the Post-Truth campaign- yes, all pols have always spun and misled, but this is really a new level.  I wonder if the press can catch up and call them on it- that's the only way to make it stop.