Posted by
Steve on Tuesday, October 24, 2006 12:38:20 PM
An honest politician is hard to find. It is the nature of the profession that enables the politician that is a stranger to the truth to succeed. The election season is short. A lie usually takes some time to uncover. By the time the truth gets out, the politician that has uttered the truth has had years to spread their filth. The redress allowed is usually so small that it is to a politician's advantage to be a stranger to the truth.
With today's internet it is easier to discover the truth. A politician that has lied today, can sometimes be found out prior to the election. This can have serious consequences to the politician if the news gets out wide enough. If the politician in question is an incumbant, they can supress the information enough to get elected again. If the person is a challenger, there is little chance. If the person is a Democrat, there is a good chance to supress. If the person is a Republican, the news will be spread from the highest rooftops.
Politics has not caught up with the speed of the internet, yet. Things that would take months or years to uncover can now take minutes or at most days. A politician has to be more careful when being a stranger to the truth today. One politician, Patty Wetterling in Minnesota, wanted to push for Republican corruption. She took the Foley scandal and added her own touches to the information. When the commercial hit the airwaves, the response was immediate. Her lies were caught and denounced. She has defended them. It would have been better to blame the ad agency and fire them.
Patty Wetterling expected that by the time the truth came out, she would be elected. She forgot about the speed of the internet. Every commercial aired by every candidate is screened by people from all walks of life. Any lies are quickly found and debunked. Candidates need to get with the 21st century technology. Expect instant analysis of all their commercials and all campaign information.
It is always best to be truthful in all you do. If you tell the truth, you do not have to have as good a memory as someone who tells lies. If you tell lies, you have to remember who you told what to. That can be a difficult thing if you tell many lies. Candidates should remember that old idea. It is especially true in this day of instant analysis by people on the internet. Bloggers will analyze anything.