Added in June of 2008.
There are outright lies and there are ways of lying by other means. Presenting only a label that creates emotion can be a form of lying - especially when the label masks something that is entirely different from what it seems that one would suppose. Presenting only a portion of the truth can be a form of lying (which is why in a courtroom one is sworn to tell the whole truth). Lying by innuendo is also something that works well in misleading innocents. All of these are types of lying at which Michael Moore, for instance, is a master. Election propaganda often lies, and often fools the public - especially when there is no debate. It is critical that people be aware of the ways in which lies can be presented.
During a recent primary for a republican seat in the House, there were two candidates. Both candidates had voting records from the past. Candidate X had a large budget and spent approximately 3.5 times what candidate Y spent. Candidate X used his money to send out various elaborate mailings to voters with supposedly true information on his voting record, his qualifications, and his opponent. Candidate Y sent out one modest mailing.
During his career, X had been careful to vote for bills for entitlement for various groups such as veterans, troops, law enforcement, widows, senior citizens, children, etc. This gave him a voting record that should cause such groups to endorse him later. It also gave him the aura of a perfect American who stood for motherhood and apple pie. Although the budget was often such that others had to vote down these same bills, X continued to vote for them, allowing others to be charged with disloyalty, indifference, or animosity to the affected groups.
X also voted for bills against wasteful spending even though his lack of sensible priorities and his occasional successes in promoting entitlements were definite examples of wasteful spending. Again this seemed to help his voting record as opposed the voting records of others.
X also voted to cut taxes even though his bills for entitlements automatically caused increases in taxes. It should be pointed out that the federal government was established to handle the common defense, the printing of currency, and order among the states. Everything else was to he handled by the states. Entitlements were not considered part of the federal role or the federal budget. They came later with the socialists - and every entitlement causes the federal budget to grow and taxes to be raised.
There are numerous reasons why some people do not vote in favor of certain bills. Often, the bill is given a name that indicates it is designed to do the exact opposite of what it actually does. Often, one or more objectionable "riders" or amendments are tacked on to the bill. Often, there are overriding circumstances such a budgetary constraints which prevent one from voting for the bill. Often, bills are introduced which should never be made into law because such a law is merely a statement of common sense and would be one more bureaucratic means of filling up law books and limiting the freedom of Americans. And often, laws are passed just to make a politician look good while implementation of such a law would be either virtually impossible or practically unfeasible.
As the primary election date approached, X found a very unflattering photo of Y and sent it along with his mailings designed to malign Y. In these mailings he accused Y of not caring for the each of the various groups which were given entitlements. He also accused Y of voting against bills that appeared from their titles to be worthwhile. In his rhetoric he accused Y of denying dollars to those who needed them most. X also published Y's standard benefits for his office as if he were stealing money from his constituents while denying others entitlements. The fact that X was entitled to those benefits as part of the nature of his job was not mentioned.
X represented himself as the white knight and compared himself to a famous and successful Republican President. He published the names of bills for which he voted - even those which had no chance of passing. Of course, with all the things that X voted for, some must have been good, well thought-out bills. X was careful to tell everyone what a good man he was to vote for the numerous entitlements, but failed to mention the increasing bureaucracy that would result from them. He also published all the various groups that backed him because of the entitlements he gave them. However, in one instance of publishing his backers he erred considerably. One of his backers was the local extremely liberal newspaper.
The result was that X failed to win in the primary even though he had done all he could to sabotage the chances of his opponent. The people of the district noted that one of his backers was the liberal rag, that other groups who supposedly backed him had been "bribed" with entitlements or promises of entitlements, that he would have continued to cause taxes to be raised, and that the dirty campaign tactics he used were ungentlemanly at best. When Republicans are supposed to be for small government, low taxes, less bureaucracy, less laws, more freedom, and more constitutional approaches to problems, X stood out like a sore thumb - allowing Y to win easily. Judging from his actions, X appears to be a liberal agent within the Republican Party, but that is difficult to prove. In any case, the republicans did want him to win regardless of his superior financial resources.
In the last year, the liberal democrats (communists with a different name) succeeded in passing legislation in both houses of Congress that should never have been passed. One was for a 40% increase in automobile fuel-efficiency standards, and another was to force utility companies to generate 15% of their power by using solar, wind, or other renewable energy sources. Unfortunately, making a law that cannot or should not be enforced is unacceptable. Automotive manufacturers have already been forced to make decisions such as reducing the rotors for disc brakes until they are too thin to be re-used with the next brake job - causing more steel to be used for new rotors, more expense to the driver, and more CO2 put into the atmosphere. The forcing of utility companies to use more renewable energy sources will cause an excessive rise in energy prices which will offset the advantages from hybrid or electric automobiles and will reinforce the rampant inflation caused by increases in gas prices. The effect upon a failing economy will lead to a recession and possibly a depression. However, those who have bought into international communism (socialism) want the U.S. to fail - so such legislation by the liberal democrats is merely part of their agenda. For those representatives and senators paid by certain Muslims in the Middle East, the same is true. And lastly, those representatives and senators who are stupid enough to believe that a law can force progress will certainly feel that they did well. The republicans believe in providing incentives for us to move forward - unlike the democrats' approach.
By examining the list of those who sponsored the candidates, voters could determine which candidate to elect. Sponsors are defined here as those who were published as wanting a candidate to win as well as those who contributed dollars to a candidate's campaign. By examining the campaign literature, the voters could determine who was using lies in his attempt to win.
It is crucial that more people are made aware of the methods used by America's enemies,
especially the propaganda that is prepared for elections. If enough people become
aware of these methods, the perpetrators of lies will gradually go out of business and
we might eventually have "clean" elections in the United States.