A Truthful Man Could Never Be Elected.

Every single President in my lifetime has lied to the American public. 

I was born 11 days after Reagan was inaugurated.  He lied about Iran Contra.

The first presidential election that I remember was Bush the First.  He lied about new taxes.

Clinton.  Oh, my goodness, where do I start with Clinton?  He lied about a goodly amount of things, including under oath, about not having sexual relations with “that woman” (an embarrassing escapade in our country’s history that I’m still not sure what we were all so worked up about, other than the fact that he lied, but that’s my point – the point I’m about to make).

Bush the Second lied, too.  He lied about intelligence that he’d received.  He lied about his recollections of the day of 9/11.  Quite simply, he lied, just like any other president.

Recently, there has been much foofurraw over the fact that President Obama lied his ass off, on multiple occasions, for multiple reasons in defense of the ACA (or, if you please, Obamacare).  He’s lied for a myriad of other reasons, too, but these are the most recent, most blatant, most telling lies of his administration, so far, because even his most dyed-in-the-wool defenders and staunchest allies are having trouble spinning and defending him over this. 

I don’t really care, to be honest, if the President lies.  They all lie.  Politicians are in the business of deflecting and driving narratives to suit their purpose and political goals.  This means that pretty much every statement that comes out of their mouths, which isn’t opinion, is a deliberate obfuscation, misdirection, or outright lie. 

The thing that gets me is the tribalism inherent here, where when their guy lies, people spin it and excuse it, and when the opposition lies, the same people will clutch their pearls and gasp breathlessly about how it is simply beyond the pale for a president to lie to the American people.  The same cast of characters that were outraged when Bush lied, are now scrambling about like angry ants, trying to change the narrative from Obama blatantly lying, into him having “misspoken” or having made a “terrible mistake.”  Of course, the same folks that were outraged about Obama’s lies were the ones covering for Bush back then, too. 

The moral, gentle reader, is a simple one, at least to me.  Regardless of how horrible a statement this is to make, the simple truth is this:

You should not trust a single thing that an American President tells you, ever.  The same goes for any politician of any level in our government.  The truth is a moving target to these people.  Like the Rockefellers and steel barons of old, to them, the end justifies the means, and so to gain what they consider to be a net political good, they will lie, cheat, and steal.  They don’t care who they trample on their way to their glory.  They couldn’t give a shit less. 

Check your own facts and truths.  Rely on you, and only trusted sources to make your decision on the truth of the matter.  The President will lie to you.  It is a part of that office.  No truthful man could ever hold the Presidency in this day and age; it would simply be impossible. 

This is a terribly sad truth, but it is truth, nonetheless.  It should be inexcusable for a President to lie to the American people, but the fact is, one that did not would never get elected.

We’re financially hosed.  The only way to save ourselves is to take drastic steps to get our financial house in order.  These include cutting entitlements most likely by means testing Social Security and Medicare.  You could cut every single other expense in the government balance sheet and social security and medicare alone would still eventually bankrupt us at current income levels. 

So how do we save ourselves?  We cut government programs, means test for entitlements, and raise taxes.  Ladies and gentlemen, this is the truth – it is the only path by which we don’t spiral into death by debt.

Would that platform get a President elected? 

Hell no, it wouldn’t.  So what do they do?  They tell us everything is okay.  A small tax increase here, or a tiny cut over there, and we’re good to go.  They lie.  They tell us what we want to hear so we’ll vote for them, and then, their entire tenure in office, they work their asses off to kick the can down the road, so that their term will be up by the time the reckoning comes.

This is why Obama illegally changed the timing of the ACA for group plans, and more recently, individual plans.  He wants to wait until after the midterm elections to foist the truth on us of how boned we are, and in the mean time, he’ll continue to lie his ass off to keep those votes. 

Stop acting like the next president is going to be the messiah who fixes all of our problems.  The solution to your problems is you.  Period.  Fix your own problems, and the problems of the nation will be fixed, one by one, at an individual level.  Don’t stare mooney-eyed at your next leader, in anticipation of what he’s going to do for you.  Be your own leader.  Do for you what needs to be done, and we’ll all be fine.