"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public." -- H.L. Mencken
"We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers." -- Aide to Mitt Romney
"How dumb do they think we are?" -- Mad Dog O'Shaughnessy
"Very." -- Dinty Ramble
When it comes to bending or deliberately ignoring facts to conform to the message du jour, political campaigners win hands down. That's no surprise.
As a young reporter once said to the Samurai Rim Man, "Did you ever get the feeling when you're working on a story that someone's lying to you?"
Response: "Of course. It happens all the time. But it's not our job to say which side is lying. Sometimes they both are. Our job is to report accurately what each side says, and provide enough background information so the reader can decide which one is lying."
This year, however, the level of prevarication has reached a new high/low (pick one), and "blatant" only begins to describe the problem.
But here's a larger question: Is it that the candidates and their staffs are avoiding facts and flat-out lying, or is it that they are so ignorant of basic truths that they think noise and bluster will enable them to bully their way to victory?
Three qualities have been strongly evident among candidates in recent years. They are: Attractive, aggressive, and ignorant. The first two help to prove Dinty Ramble's observation of many years standing: Shake enough hands with enough people long enough and anybody can get elected to anything.
As for the third, consider this. Attractive and aggressive may win elections, but ignorance devastates a nation.
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