One of the striking things about last night’s debate was that Mitt Romney lied early and often — and I’m not talking small lies, I’m talking big lies, lies that contradicted his own published policies listed on his web site and in the GOP platform, we’re not talking about mere differences of opinion here — and Obama seemed flustered by that.
This points out a fundamental problem with lawyers running for office that I noticed in 2004 when Dick Cheney debated John Edwards. The Big Dick lied early and often, and it flustered Edwards because the usual response to a lie on the stand is to present evidence showing that the witness lied and then there’s possible perjury charges and contempt of court charges to pursue. As a result, while people do lie regularly and often on the stand, they don’t do it *baldly* because they understand that they can go to jail if they do so, and as a result lawyers simply don’t encounter situations where people lie baldly on the stand and there’s no ability to present evidence showing that the person lied.
But John Kerry was *not* a lawyer, and he didn’t handle the lying liars of the right any better than Obama did last night. It seems that Democrats, despite their many flaws, do seem to hold the view that the truth is something to be desired, and when they encounter people who lie baldly and often it appalls and flusters them.
So now we know Mitt Romney’s debate strategy — lie early, lie often, tell big lies, outrageous lies, and that’s how you win. What a way of raising the public discourse.
– Badtux the Truth-seeking Penguin
My kid had to watch the Cheney/Edwards debate for AP gov and report on it and she did it at her bf’s house. When she told me how she got frustrated because bf’s dad (R) kept yapping and she couldn’t hear what was going on I was furious and made a special trip to bfs house to talk to dad. He hid behind his wife. Literally. I was shaking because I was so angry.