So here’s a shocker: Politicians sometimes tell lies! OK, so perhaps no American would be surprised by this statement. In fact, we reward candidates handsomely for outright deceit. However, our sense of balance seems to be off. Around a decade ago, we impeached a President for lying about his private life. Today, we won’t even press the Commander in Chief of one of the largest militaries in the world to even answer questions about leading us into a manufactured and self-serving war. The list seems endless, and Americans are getting no better at asking for truth and accountability.
A case in point is John McCain. While there’s plenty to dislike about his decisions and checkered past, recent ads seem to have crossed some kind of line. A New York Times Editorial titled Blizzard of lies attempts to look at the the most recent issues:
Did you hear about how Barack Obama wants to have sex education in kindergarten, and called Sarah Palin a pig? Did you hear about how Ms. Palin told Congress, “Thanks, but no thanks” when it wanted to buy Alaska a Bridge to Nowhere?
These stories have two things in common: they’re all claims recently made by the McCain campaign — and they’re all out-and-out lies.
Dishonesty is nothing new in politics. I spent much of 2000 — my first year at The Times — trying to alert readers to the blatant dishonesty of the Bush campaign’s claims about taxes, spending and Social Security.
But I can’t think of any precedent, at least in America, for the blizzard of lies since the Republican convention. The Bush campaign’s lies in 2000 were artful — you needed some grasp of arithmetic to realize that you were being conned. This year, however, the McCain campaign keeps making assertions that anyone with an Internet connection can disprove in a minute, and repeating these assertions over and over again.
To be fair, there are some people that try to call politicians out on outright fabrications of the truth. This article is one example, as is one from The Huffington Post about John McCain on The View. While mainstream media continues to overlook real issues and to hold candidates accountable, it seems within reason to expect Americans to wake up, start thinking, and to stop rewarding lies.
Atypical Guy 
bob said,
July 10, 2009 at 11:19 am
You have three claims which you are reporting as false…
The three claims are worthless, and are questionable. I myself have heard Obama make statements that he believes sex education should be taught in kindergarden. It’s not a lie. Obama just never talks absolutes. He says it’s a good idea and he believes in it, then if the people don’t like it he calls it his personal decision. That’s the same thing Clinton did, and it’s BS.
The pig comment is indefinitely true, and you know it.
That just leaves the vague comment on the bridge to nowhere comment from Sarah Palin, and that one is symbolic to all her work not specific…So where is the lie?
Democrats love calling the lie card…And I’ve never been able to see them prove it.
bob said,
July 10, 2009 at 11:37 am
Oh yeah, and look up the truth about Iraq. Bush did not mislead the country. That was the democrats.
I’m sorry to break it to you but nearly every democrat agreed with the war. See http://www.opinioneditorials.com/guestcontributors/lbutler_20051115.html for the truth and how Bush did not lie about the weapons of mass destruction. He compiled information and then took it to the congress. That’s it, that’s all. Argue otherwise and you are either paranoid or just don’t know how things work.
You can’t fabricate stuff like that. Name facts that democrats have about Bush lying…They don’t have any. They make claims on what he says…Look up Bush’s original speech on Iraq. He clearly stated the war was not complete until the citizens were free.
The war with Iraq was the best war we’ve ever had. 5,000 deaths, the country is being rebuilt, and we’re doing well. No country has been rebuilt by us successfully with that little amount of deaths. Compare something to Iraq, I dare you. Nothing comes close. You can compare deaths independantly…But that’s just bs because no country is comparable with what we’ve done and no country has been rebuilt with that little amount of deaths.
You can compare the national debt. Look into the total for the war of Iraq. http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Iraq+War+Total+Cost+2009&page=1&qsrc=2417&ab=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nationalpriorities.org%2Fcost_of_war_counter_notes 657.3 billion in Iraq since 2001. That’s 82 billion a year. Our national debt is over a trillion. It’s not the main factor in our debt so it’s an unfounded unresearched and manipulative comment to act like a democrat and just use a concept like “The economy was worsened by a multiple front war because of Bush”. It was mainly worsened by housing loans due to democrats. If you’re going to weigh one factor of 82 billion, you have to weigh the larger effect from the loans which Carter started and Clinton reinforced, then the democrats partyline blocked any changes by president Bush to change it in 2005 which McCain supported and started by the way. Look into bank regulations, 2005. Obama fully supports the afghan war, and has stated we need to focus on it. So when we compare war cost numbers, we can’t use those numbers.
Democrats lie about information, and twist it with concepts and have no facts. Your posts continually talk about the religious inept, and I’ll agree that some are. Those republicans which are politicians think like this though, and those democrats in power think of power and talking vague with no real facts like you do. You’re insulting the general public continually regarding their beliefs in order to attach that to politicians. That’s just a poor show of ethics don’t you think? It reflects your party.
bob said,
July 10, 2009 at 12:15 pm
Sorry I worded that bush thing horribly, he didn’t compile anything.
He was the president, everyone reviewed the CIA and other foreign intelligence documents and made an independant decision.
None of the information was his to present. The companies presented.