Everyone lies:
Al Franken's book "Lies (And the Liars Who Tell Them)" takes on the Bush administration basically saying every Republican on television, including the President, was lying to everyone about everything. He's right, except everyone in politics lies. Politicians have to lie, the American public is constantly feeding it's addiction via news outlets which report on everything that seems important,
and it's only America's indulgence for voyeurism and conflict that allows these lies and projections to exist and to spread amongst the public.
Websites like FactCheck.org need to exist to allow Americans to see past these lies. Unfortunately, most people in politics are going to lie in order to get votes, in order to win, in order to beat the other guys. People in politics lie mostly because they believe it themselves. The more insidious reason (what most people believe) is that they lie to get votes. I repeat: everyone lies, and the most common reason for lying in politics is to get elected. Smear campaigns exist because they work; negative campaigns work. Why do these lies spread and seem like the truth, or, even worse, become the majority opinion among the general public? This question is what every politician asks himself when caught in the middle of a scandal. Politicians spin the truth to make their opponent seem worse, and make themselves the obvious choice in an election. “Spinning” allows both political parties access to think tanks who will show you evidence that what they say is true. Another misunderstood thing in politics is that you can find evidence to support any position you hold and want to attempt to make other people believe. The trick is to know what to believe, and in politics people will believe what they will no matter what evidence there is to prove otherwise; that's why they call it a belief.
Is an omission the same as a lie in politics and should be considered a lie by the public? This is one of the most frustrating things about politics. Most Americans believe omission is a way to hide and bury the truth. I think it's a necessary tool to get things done, however the need for power will often skew the motives of those in politics. "People don't elect a man in a wheel chair" is what is said about Franklin Roosevelt, who ran a world war from his wheelchair. If Roosevelt had to be President on TV he would be blasted and possibly even impeached for hiding and omitting the truth about his health. People don't doubt that this man was a great President, he served more years in the Presidency then any other man in that office; however, in today's society he would be ridiculed, investigated, embarrassed and smeared for lying to the American public in order to win an election.
“Checks and Balances;” everyone knows this concept, which is a foundation for our government. We believe if the Congress investigates the President then he cannot lie or omit and if he does, the truth will be discovered by this prestigious body seeking the answers for the American public. These hearings are full of partisan agendas and therefore can not be seen as a body of truth but more a body of corruption and greed for power. Investigations are run to discover the lies of the White House, and a committee of Congress serves this purpose. Those lucky enough to sit in this committee are generally chosen by the opposing party, and the majority of members are the most bloodthirsty, hardcore, diehard haters of whoever is in office at the time. Our government is not based on trust, the founders did not want the branches of government to trust each other and, to an extent, they didn't want the American people to trust the government either. We are supposed to ask questions; when these questions become the tools of enemies to attack each other for the sake of winning, the institutional memory of checks and balances becomes an excuse for the lies.
There are many people who will never run for office because they fear becoming a target for this kind attack. Politicians hide things, obfuscate, deceive and attempt to make you afraid of the truth. This opinion will never die because people don't trust the truth; even if the truth came screaming down from some higher power, there would be those who doubt it. The ideals of America were founded
on participation in our government. I think it's sad when people maliciously attack and smear men and women who raise their hands and say "I want to make a difference, I want to lead, I want to help govern America." I think anyone who defies the opposition and is on the side of truth is a hero.
How do people get to the truth? How do people see all sides of an issue without being misinformed? How do we see the difference between the honest politician and the lying one? People need to answer this question for themselves. If a lie changes one mind, if it spreads and becomes truth, then it was worth it to those who told that lie. In a small way people don't want to and sometimes can't handle the truth about politics which is why they'd rather get their news from a “talking head” then go to a town hall or a debate. They trust news outlets and political celebrities about the serious issues facing our country. Everyone in politics wants power, everyone in politics want to hold their office for as long as they can, everyone in politics has a skeleton in their closet or a lie on the record somewhere. Everyone lies and the strongest foe is information. Everyone tells you what they think you want to hear and they want to influence the most minds with their version of the truth. Franklin D. Roosevelt was a great President who lied.
Everyone lies.
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