Do American voters assume that lies are par for the course for politicians? Would such an assumption explain why Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have gotten as far as they have politically?
In his 08/10/16 column, John Stossel spells out how the two presidential candidates lie:
Sure, it is common for a political candidate to accuse a rival of dishonesty, but the false claims Trump and Clinton have been thoroughly exposed by American journalists. Yet, the two candidates keep on going like Energizer bunnies.
What enables them to get away with the falsehoods? Could it be the willful blindness of their supporters?
For example, The Hill quotes Ann Coulter as saying, “Trump has made some mistakes during this campaign, but he hasn’t done anything wrong for months now.”
Trump hasn’t done anything wrong for months now? What alternate reality is Coulter living in? Trump has put his foot in his mouth so often that he now has athlete’s tongue. Coulter proves that denial isn’t just a river in Egypt.
In Clinton’s case, her supporters may be admitting in private that she lies, but they may be tolerating her fibs in order to prevent Trump from winning in November. It is as if Clinton’s supporters are saying, “Sure, Clinton lies like the devil, but Trump is the devil.”
Does the disapproval of a politician’s rival justify the fibs of that politician?
What excuse do politicians have for fibbing? Do politicians deliberately tell falsehoods out of pure selfishness on their part, or do they do so because they think that voters can’t handle the truth?
Whatever the case may be, politicians don’t get away with fibs without help from enablers. Perhaps the latter are the real political villains.
The “Wanted” posters say the following about David: “Wanted: A refugee from planet Melmac masquerading as a human. Loves cats. If seen, contact the Alien Task Force.”