Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Those Lying Politicians
If someone was to ask you whether you believe most politicians have lied at one time or another in their career, what would be your answer? Mine would absolutely be yes. Why is this though? I can't give any examples of a politician lying off the top of my head, with the exception of the whole Bill Clinton deal... But for some reason I still have a deep distrust of them, even to the extent of questioning simple statements that have no real importance. I assume that it's been an accumulation of questionable behavior that has led to my distrust, but I wonder why do they lie and why do others still get so involved.
If I had to guess as to why politicians feel like it is acceptable to lie, I would say that they most likely feel like they can get away with it. You would think that media would lessen this, and I'm sure it does, but when you are talking to an audience and they hear you say something they are much more likely to believe you then they are to take that information and filter it for credibility. Politicians will say what you want to hear to get your vote. If they say something and gain 100 votes then half hear that it wasn't true then they are still ahead 50 votes. It is a numbers game, if you have the potential to gain more votes by lying then you risk losing then it is a good bet.
Eventually the outcome of lying is voter distrust and apathy. Democracy depends on the voter, and if voter turnout continues the way it has been going, then officials will become less and less the representatives of the governed. I think this is the way things have been moving towards for a long time. The government is a club of wealthy men and women who seek to stay in office more than serving in the office they're in. I hope that one day I can trust that politicians have the greater good as their top priority but I think that they won't be the ones to lead us into the future. I think it's the innovators that will open up new opportunities for us in the future and that policy and policymakers will keep trying to play catch up and grab as much power and money as they can.
http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/01/22/why-politicians-get-away-with-lying/when-lies-become-the-norm-in-politics
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201104/why-politicians-lie-and-how-they-get-away-it
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In Sean Mullins latest post, Those Lying Politicians, he talks of his distrust with politicians today. I can honestly say I could not agree more! It is so hard to truly believe what any of them has to say simply because the history and bad reputation politicians have for making artificial promises to our nation.
ReplyDeletePoliticians make fraudulent promises to our country because they know that their "promises" are what will make the public more attracted to them. So when are we supposed to know when they are lying and when they are being honest with their intentions in office? It's no wonder why the voter population is at a slow decline! Why should we vote for politicians who cannot keep their word?
If were Sean though, I would have gone a little more in depth about how politicians lying affects the voter population. There has been a serious decline in voter population, from an average 56.8% in 2008, to a low 37.8% in 2010. Don't get me wrong, there are multiple factors that go in to the decrease in voters over the past few years, but the way politicians interact with the people of our nation contribute to these decreasing statistics. Politicians complain about the decrease in voters and they make it a point to reveal their plans to help raise the voter population. But do we really see any of their ideas actually "help" these statistics? No.
The truth of the matter is that politicians are very hard to trust and with out trust, why would we vote someone in to a position where they can make executive decisions for our nation? Over all, I think Sean did a very good job explaining why he and many other Americans have a hard time trusting those in office. I think the only way it could have been better was if he had just included a little information about how this problem affects the voting population.
In his recent post, Sean Mullins explains the etiology of the distrust he feels for politicians, and I have to say that for the most part I agree with him. While it is true that most, if not all, persons in elected office have stretched the truth at one time or another, I feel that it isn't voter turnout that will demonstrate frustration with untruths. Lying lays at the root of our current culture and unless there is some radical shift in public thought, I see no reason why we should expect more out of our elected officials than we are willing to commit to in our daily lives. If they are truly our representatives then shouldn't they behave as we do? Why shouldn't they fib on their taxes and watch reality TV where everyone behaves badly? Why shouldn't they endorse 'equal' healthcare for all Americans, as long as they can have a separate system?
ReplyDeleteI say this tongue-in-cheek of course, because I do believe that they should be held accountable for the decisions they make. They should be responsible enough to enact the policies they so vigorously run on and then have the pride of accomplishing what they set out to do. That's what I do every day. I work hard and then can enjoy the benefits of the labor I have put in. That is the type of representative that I will vote for, the man or woman that can point to what they have accomplished in business, medicine, or previous government service and demonstrate results. Do I value people that tell the truth? Of course, anyone that doesn't isn't rational. I want to be able to trust the candidates I vote for. But more to the point, I want to be able to trust their actions. Character is defined more by actions over time than by words uttered during a campaign speech. So I value the truth as spoken by representatives, but I value the truth of their actions more.