Politicians and lying

[Palefire]

Bending the publics perception of them, to better serve them, is what politicians do for the most part. I'm sorry that such lies are now effecting you; but it's a very old story. I don't believe that problem can be addressed in any kind of meaningful way with out making some radical changes to the rules under which politicians operate.

[Palefire]

did bush lie to south dakotans?

I think Bush has fallen short of the truth with a lot more people than just south dakotans. I'm not familiar with Bush's statement that you reference, so I've got to hold off on that front until such time as I am.

[Palefire]

How to tell if a politician is lying; His mouth is moving.

I don't know anything about the base in your state but I would ask one question; If the military does not need the base is it right to keep it open at taxpayer expense just to maintain the jobs for the people working there?

I have to agree with your last point, but I'm not so sure it runs counter to MissCathlolics point. If Thune sold himself to the voters as the guy that would save the base (which is something the south dakota voters did and still do want to do), and the base gets closed on his watch, I would have to think that those voters would feel suckered. Which, of course, will be the case if the base closes. Did Thune lie, or is he just not being effective at doing something he wished to do? I don't know. The good news for Thune is that he doesn't face re-election again for quite some time, and I doubt that the south dakota voters will hold on their anger for the next 5 years. Which is most likely one of the reasons that base was picked for closing.

[Palefire]

Some do, some don't.

But why do we fault politicians so much for it? I think it is, to an extent, our own compensation. The average person, I recall, lies upwards of 30 times per day.

Because their lies have more of an impact on our lives than some kid telling a line to a girl he wants to bed. It remains my hope that we the people will raise our standards a bit higher than "eh, it's OK to be dishonest".

[Palefire]

I have just found out that two of my fathers friends are to lose thier jobs.

Great news!

Typical "compassionate conservative".

Maybe taking joy in the suffering of others is just a Right Wing Christian ideal. It sure seems that way some times.

[Palefire]

I think that Jfern's point, but you would have to ask jfern to be sure, is that the brand of uncompassionate conservatism on display here is actually fairly typical from those claiming to be compassionate - thus the use of the word 'typical'. That is at lest the way I took it.

[Palefire]

Actually, I think people are looking for hope, not lies. They find a little false hope in believing the lies - but the lies are not what they want. They want the lies to be truth. But when the other guy is selling a load of BS to those that are buying false hope, it does make it hard. Such is the system we live in. If the voters asked for more than false hope, they would get it - but that isn't the case right now.

[Palefire]

The average Joe has always been susceptible to the lure of false of hope - and most likely always will be, so I agree with you in broad terms. But, the amount attention the voting body, as a whole, pays to politics does change. Generally speaking; people tend to be more involved when their own economy is less than they think it should be. I would certainly advocate that people take a greater interest in their democracy at all times – but, that’s just a pipe dream.

[Palefire]

The average Joe has always been susceptible to the lure of false of hope - and most likely always will be, so I agree with you in broad terms. But, the amount attention the voting body, as a whole, pays to politics does change. Generally speaking; people tend to be more involved when their own economy is less than they think it should be. I would certainly advocate that people take a greater interest in their democracy at all times – but, that’s just a pipe dream.

I have been the exact opposite of that. When I first got married and we had very little money I cared very little about politics. I was to busy working trying to support a young family. Now that I have become wealthier I have a great interest in politics and the "issues discussion" or lack thereof.

Not necessarily. Young newly weds without money expect to have financial problems (if they are remotely realistic). As such they don't tend to blame politicians. If they are smart, they work hard and get themselves out of the hole they are in. But economic recession and depression tend to leave people feeling slighted by the mismanagement of the economy by politicians. It's about mass expectations when one speaks to the political voting body as a whole, not isolated cases.