by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: September 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 21, 2011

Everyone lies from time to time. As a result, we can only conclude that there are far more lying citizens in the world than there are lying politicians. But politicians are public figures who are provided enormous authority and power, they get far more attention than the average citizen, and they depend on their public image and sales points for survival. Politicians are simply easier targets for scrutiny and are put in a position where lying may be the only option.

This topic forces the assumption that "all politicians lie". People say this every day, but offer no concrete proof, relevance or specific situations whatsoever to support such a broad and sweeping statement. We have no proof that the average politician lies any more than the average mechanic, insurance salesperson, doctor, lawyer, parent, apartment complex manager, or anyone else.

This does not mean that politicians never lie. It means that the nature of the job has categories of lying:

For politeness and conduct: A politician might lie to a ranting lunatic at a Town Hall meeting and say that he or she "Really cares..."

In formal settings: A politician might make a diplomatic lie in order not to offend an important constituency or contributor.

When blindsided by a question: A politician might be forced to give on-the-spot answers that turn out to be factually incorrect. One representative was notorious for documenting every minute of his day so that he could not be blindsided by a question and then called a liar for saying "I don't know, maybe I was golfing."

When a politician is given bad information, the politician can be accused of blaming others. Today's clowning, foolish extremist politicians think that they have special powers to convince, con, scam or to manipulate others by uttering bald faced lies, then getting belligerent or dodging the questions when they are confronted.

Some are sociopaths and psychopaths who have spent a lifetime in controlling and manipulating others. Such people can no longer control their compulsions to lie. Most mature adults have experienced life with people who lie for lying's sake, even when it would serve them better to tell the truth. Politicians are no different when they have become addicted to lying in order to get what they want from others.

A politician may decide to not answer a question, no matter how aggressively and persistently he or she is asked. A politician might change the subject, duck and dodge, and otherwise make a fool

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>