Thread: John Mcain and the lying game.

we know that politicians will stoop as low as possible to garner votes but I found this article very interesting.

Has Mcain taken the campaign to a new low, going beyond spin and misinformation into the realm of outright lie?


John McCain and the Lying Game - TIME

Politics has always been lousy with blather and chicanery. But there are rules and traditions too. In the early weeks of the general-election campaign, a consensus has grown in the political community — a consensus that ranges from practitioners like Karl Rove to commentators like, well, me — that John McCain has allowed his campaign to slip the normal bounds of political propriety. The situation has gotten so intense that we in the media have slipped our normal rules as well. Usually when a candidate tells something less than the truth, we mince words. We use euphemisms like mendacity and inaccuracy ... or, as the Associated Press put it, "McCain's claims skirt facts." But increasing numbers of otherwise sober observers, even such august institutions as the New York Times editorial board, are calling John McCain a liar. You might well ask, What has McCain done to deserve this? What unwritten rules did he break? Are his transgressions of degree or of kind?

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Almost every politician stretches the truth. We journalists try to point out the exaggerations and criticize them, then let the voters decide. When McCain says, for example, that Barack Obama favors a government-run health-care system, he's not telling the truth — Obama wants a market-based system subsidized by the government — but McCain's untruth illuminates a general policy direction, which is sketchy but sort of within the bounds. (Obama's plan would increase government regulation of the drug and insurance industries.) Obama has done this sort of thing too. In July, he accused McCain of supporting the foreign buyout of an American company that could lead to the loss of about 8,000 jobs in Wilmington, Ohio. McCain did support the deal, but the job loss comes many years later and was not anticipated at the time. That, however, is where the moral equivalency between these two campaigns ends.
McCain's lies have ranged from the annoying to the sleazy, and the problem is in both degree and kind. His campaign has been a ceaseless assault on his opponent's character and policies, featuring a consistent—and witting—disdain for the truth. Even after 38 million Americans heard Obama say in his speech at the Democratic National Convention that he was open to offshore oil-drilling and building new nuclear-power plants, McCain flatly said in his acceptance speech that Obama opposed both. Normal political practice would be for McCain to say, "Obama says he's 'open to' offshore drilling, but he's always opposed it. How can we believe him?" This persistence in repeating demonstrably false charges is something new in presidential politics.
Worse than the lies have been the smears. McCain ran a television ad claiming that Obama favored "comprehensive" sex education for kindergartners. (Obama favored a bill that would have warned kindergartners about sexual predators and improper touching.) The accusation that Obama was referring to Sarah Palin when he said McCain's effort to remarket his economic policies was putting "lipstick on a pig" was another clearly misleading attack — an obnoxious attempt to divert attention from Palin's lack of fitness for the job and the recklessness with which McCain chose her. McCain's assault on the "élite media" for spreading rumors about Palin's personal life — actually, the culprits were a few bloggers and the tabloid press — was more of the same. And that gets us close to the real problem here. The McCain camp has decided that its candidate can't win honorably, on the issues, so it has resorted to transparent and phony diversions.
This new strategy emerged during the first week of Obama's overseas trip in late July. McCain had been intending to contrast his alleged foreign policy expertise and toughness with Obama's inexperience and alleged weakness. McCain wanted to "win" the Iraq war and face down the Iranians. But those issues became moot when the Iraqis said they favored Obama's withdrawal plan and the Bush Administration started talking to the Iranians. At that point, McCain committed his original sin — out of pique, I believe — questioning Obama's patriotism, saying the Democrat would rather lose a war than lose an election. Ever since, McCain's campaign has been a series of snide and demeaning ads accompanied by the daily gush of untruths that have now been widely documented and exposed. The strategy is an obvious attempt to camouflage the current unpopularity of his Republican brand, the insubstantiality of his vice-presidential choice, and his agreement on most issues — especially economic matters — with an exceedingly unpopular President.
The good news is that the vile times may be ending. The coming debates will decide this race, and it isn't easy to tell lies when your opponent is standing right next to you. The Wall Street collapse demands a more sober campaign as well. But these dreadful weeks should not be forgotten. John McCain has raised serious questions about whether he has the character to lead the nation. He has defaced his beloved military code of honor. He has run a dirty campaign.

maybe a mod could move this to US domestic issues, sorry.

^ I quit reading Time when I was a sophomore. Gotta dig deeper than that, CMN. Time is fluff.

He is a lying liar

Originally Posted by Jet Gorgon

^ I quit reading Time when I was a sophomore. Gotta dig deeper than that, CMN. Time is fluff.

But its true, fluff or not. Starting to drop in the polls as well.

That's the point isn't it AO.

I'm not looking for dirt Jet.

This is a report about the lies he has told, quotes that happened and are recorded.

i don't see the source of the article has any baring other than the fact that they were willing to put it together as an article.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

even such august institutions as the New York Times editorial board

First turn-off right there. August? OMG. Just a board of smut diggers and smear-tacticians for the Dems.

As the article does truthfully note (for once), all politicians stretch the truth. How about the amount of untruths and gossip (especially about Palin) dished out by the BO campaign? They are running scared and now saying "That can only come from supporters like you -- unlike John McCain, we don't take money from Washington lobbyists or special interest PACs." (From one of my coveted daily e-mails from David Plouffe.) What a crock. Don't forget, BO has refused public funding for his campaign, too. Come on welfare folks, give BO that $5 you would elsewise use to feed your kiddies with every week.

Jet,

This is now two threads in succession where you've attacked the source (and now shifted the posts/focus) instead of dealing with the actual points/issues raised.

I only mention it now because some may perceive that as an unwillingness/inability to deal with the actual issues and attempted distraction. A heads-up if you like.

Originally Posted by britmaveric

Unfortunately the only one telling porkies is BO..

this is of course categorically untrue as I'm sure you know.

you reallly do spout the most awful dribble at times brit.

i wonder about your motives in so doing.

^CMN - how are you mate???

The current US president is a proven liar and so was the one before him. Why break with a great US tradition?

^All politicians are liars - one of the major requirements for the job.

Originally Posted by britmaveric

All politicians are liars

didn't you just say obama was the only liar?

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by britmaveric

All politicians are liars

didn't you just say obama was the only liar?

Originally Posted by britmaveric

Unfortunately the only one telling porkies is BO...

He's got you there Brit.

Originally Posted by britmaveric

Unfortunately the only one telling porkies is BO...

Originally Posted by britmaveric

All politicians are liars - one of the major requirements for the job.

Ouch !

Well - McCain in comparison to BO is like comparing a small pool to an ocean. Yes - dare say McCain has told some porkies, but pales in comparison to the every other word from the gob of BO.

Originally Posted by britmaveric

Well - McCain in comparison to BO is like comparing a small pool to an ocean. Yes - dare say McCain has told some porkies, but pales in comparison to the every other word from the gob of BO.

So now McCain does lie but it's ok because he doesn't lie as much as Obama? Strange rationale.

What are they anyways, these lies from Obama? With "every other word" being mistruthful I'd expect there's a veritable catalouge of them no?

Originally Posted by britmaveric

Well - McCain in comparison to BO is like comparing a small pool to an ocean. Yes - dare say McCain has told some porkies, but pales in comparison to the every other word from the gob of BO.

A very shallow pool. You need a reality check Brit.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

That's the point isn't it AO.

I'm not looking for dirt Jet.

This is a report about the lies he has told, quotes that happened and are recorded.

i don't see the source of the article has any baring other than the fact that they were willing to put it together as an article.

With selective editing one can fabricate anything. Time has a left wing tilt.

Originally Posted by Panda

The current US president is a proven liar and so was the one before him. Why break with a great US tradition?

and before him,
and before him,
and before him,
and before him,........