Aftermath of Acceptable Lies

"The expectation is that any statement made either by a politician or by a media outlet is a false ideological distortion. As a result, no one blames politicians for making false statements or statements that obviously contradict that politician’s beliefs." 

-NYTimes

The holidays have helped to diminished the bile soaked end of the presidential campaign, although the false specter of the 'fiscal cliff' did much to keep the distress alive. The essence of political life in the U.S. these days is simple - Politicians Lie! As the old adage goes: If their lips are moving, you know they're lying.

I don't mean this to be a joke or a tongue in cheek superficial comment on American politics. This is actually the state of governance in this country today. If they are talking to a camera, they are lying. Call it spin or perspective but the words are meant to cover up the facts which no one in Washington seems to bother with these days.

Sure you probably earnestly believe that 'your guy' lied less than 'their guy' but he didn't. You just like your guy's lies more than the lies the other side told. And here is the crux of the problem, you have bought into the culture of deceit and mendacity. The fact that you are okay with your guy lying less is a huge ethical leap and you, the voter, took that fatal step.
Think about it a moment. Picture yourself in front of a television and either Nancy Pelosi or John Boehner steps to the microphone. Pick the one you like the least or hate the most. If you don't change the channel and actually listen to what they have to say, don't you already have the mindset that they are going to falsify and twist the facts to fit their narrative which you already know is a distortion of reality. You expect them to lie!

Now I know it's easy to dismiss this behavior with the overarching belief that politics is politics and that's not what really happens in government. That sound bites are only for the tv camera and the real work of our representative government takes place away from the lights and microphones. Really? Have you been paying attention? 

These politicians actually believe their lies, they form ideological cliques around those lies and they are making decisions about Social Security, Health Care, Human Rights and War. Our troops are fighting and dying based on decisions made by this people who care not that their job is to distort and lie. These are people we entrust with making life and death decisions.

The subtle message is that it's all our fault for buying into this, which supports my argument for third parties and gives rise to movements like Occupy. But all of these attempts to "fix" the broken system fly in the face of the simpler, obvious solution - Don't Lie! and don't elect those who do, even when they tell lies you like.