Does the Truth Matter Anymore?

[kang]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/postpartisan/2008/09/does_the_truth_matter_anymore.html?hpid=opinionsbo x1

This is not false naivete: I am genuinely surprised that John McCain and his campaign keep throwing out false charges and making false claims without any qualms. They keep talking about Sarah Palin’s opposition to the Bridge to Nowhere without any embarrassment over the fact that she once supported it. They keep saying that Barack Obama will raise taxes, suggesting he’d raise them on everybody, when Obama’s plan, according to the Tax Policy Institute, would cut taxes for “about 80 percent of households” while “only about 10 percent would owe more.” And as Sebastian Mallaby pointed out in his recent column, Obama would cut taxes for middle-income taxpayers “more aggressively” than McCain would.

And now comes a truly vile McCain ad accusing Obama of supporting legislation to offer "'comprehensive sex education' to kindergartners." The announcer declares: "Learning about sex before learning to read? Barack Obama. Wrong on education. Wrong for your family."

Margaret Talev of McClatchy newspapers called the ad a “deliberate low blow.” Here’s what she wrote in an excellent fact check: “This is a deliberately misleading accusation. It came hours after the Obama campaign released a TV ad critical of McCain's votes on public education. As a state senator in Illinois, Obama did vote for but was not a sponsor of legislation dealing with sex ed for grades K-12. But the legislation allowed local school boards to teach ‘age-appropriate’ sex education, not comprehensive lessons to kindergartners, and it gave schools the ability to warn young children about inappropriate touching and sexual predators.”

Is McCain against teaching little kids to beware of sexual predators?

McCain once campaigned on the idea that the war on terrorism is the “transcendent” issue of our time. Now, he’s stooping to cheap advertising that would be condemned as trivial and misleading in a state legislative race. Boy, do I miss the old John McCain and wonder what became of him. And I wonder if the media will really take on this onslaught of half-truths and outright deception.

UPDATE: I wrote this post late Tuesday night. I'm glad to see the story on the front page of today's Post begin to take up what will be an ongoing imperative in this campaign.

[scottmandue]

Just want to get this in before I leave the computer...

I predict the same old group of PPOT conservatives will have called you a long list of pubescent obscenities by this time tomorrow.

[kang]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

ust want to get this in...

I predict the same old group of PPOT conservatives will have called you a long list of pubescent obscenities by this time tomorrow.

I already anticipated that, and I'm ready to ignore them.

[nota]

the BIG LIE is a trusted GOP plan

[kstar]

This campaign is "political". While I know I have bias to one side, I see plenty of truth stretching, spinnage and even dishonesty on both sides.

If one sees a problem with the above on only one side, it is time to reconcile one's mental checkbook.

[IROC]

Originally Posted by kstarnes

This campaign is "political". While I know I have bias to one side, I see plenty of truth stretching, spinnage and even dishonesty on both sides.

If one sees a problem with the above on only one side, it is time to reconcile one's mental checkbook.

All I can say is that if McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden is the best this country has to offer - we're in serious trouble. Serious trouble.

[DanielDudley]

Yes, we see it on both sides, but IMO the Democratic frinnge is responsible on that side, and the McCain Campaign is responsible on the Republican side.

There are the tactics of Carl Rove and his disciples. Which I take to mean that McCain is now a tool of his party. I can no longer consider voting for him.

They will however sucker a lot of trusting Americans. Add that they are now saying that they are the party of change. Spare change maybe. We are now supposed to believe that they are the only ones who can solve the problems that they themselves created.

Yeah, yeah, THAT's the ticket.

[peppy]

Originally Posted by IROC

All I can say is that if McCain/Palin or Obama/Biden is the best this country has to offer - we're in serious trouble. Serious trouble.

Good people would not subject themselves to the scrutiny. Maybe I should have said smart people.

[BeyGon]

You believe the washington post, why not read the truth in todays Wall Street Journal.
Oh well, you don't want the truth.

[kstar]

Originally Posted by DanielDudley

Yes, we see it on both sides, but IMO the Democratic frinnge is responsible on that side, and the McCain Campaign is responsible on the Republican side.

. . . snip . . .

That is certainly an opinion.

[Mule]

YOU CAN"T HANDLE THE TRUTH. How's that?

Dim ocrats decrying the lack of truth, amazing!

[dd74]

Honestly, if Obama or anyone else is shocked, he/they are quite naive.

The same goes for the McCain side...

[sammyg2]

Does the Truth Matter Anymore?
Obviously not to you it doesn't.

[varmint]

is that it?

liberal columnist accuses mccain of lying. and for proof he links to a bunch of other liberal columnists. who link back to him.

[Nathans_Dad]

First, no the truth doesn't matter in political campaigns. The truth has NEVER mattered and the truth that you are referring to (for both parties) is the whitewashed, safe for consumption truth. The REAL truth about Washington would include all the backroom meetings and secret handshakes and I suspect that if we all knew the REAL truth none of the people in Washington would stand a chance of being elected.

So, getting that out of the way, politics has been and always will be about presenting your version of the truth to your best advantage.

According to your own fact checker, Obama did vote for the bill that would have allowed schools to teach sex education to kindergardeners, right?

So, voting for a bill is....not supporting it? Do you have to sponsor a bill to be considered to have supported it? This seems to be the point of the writer when she calls it a "low blow".

So, if Obama voted for the bill and McCain said he supported the bill where is the falsehood?

[rouxroux]

Kang, why wait? Here is a direct quote from the messiah:

"I remember him, uh, using this in his campaign against me saying "Barack Obaba supports teaching sex education to kindegartners.: (laughter) And, you know, which --I didn't know what to tell him...BUT IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO."

He spoketh these words while preaching to the choir (talking to a planned parenthood meeting) 11/20/2007 when talking about Alan Keyes.

Why wait for some paper's spin? There it is, so sayeth the B-HO. Any er, uh, mmmm,ahh mo' questions?"
...oh yeah...I guess in B-HO's case it's "stranger danger"....

[Mule]

The words of the messiah need to be interpreted by a Liberal high priest such as Cardinal Oberman.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by rouxroux

Kang, why wait? Here is a direct quote from the messiah:

"I remember him, uh, using this in his campaign against me saying "Barack Obaba supports teaching sex education to kindegartners.: (laughter) And, you know, which --I didn't know what to tell him...BUT IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO."

He spoketh these words while preaching to the choir (talking to a planned parenthood meeting) 11/20/2007 when talking about Alan Keyes.

Why wait for some paper's spin? There it is, so sayeth the B-HO. Any er, uh, mmmm,ahh mo' questions?"
...oh yeah...I guess in B-HO's case it's "stranger danger"....

At least the original poster had the respect to post his source.

[Pazuzu]

Originally Posted by peppy

Good people would not subject themselves to the scrutiny. Maybe I should have said smart people.

We might never have a smart, good, honest president, because smart, good, honest people will never bother to run.

[BeyGon]

Originally Posted by Pazuzu

At least the original poster had the respect to post his source.

Jeee whiz, I saw it on TV today, I thought it was funny but didn't know it was a big deal yet.