It's Not a Lie if You Believe It.(Yes it Is)

The Republican National Convention ended yesterday with Mitt Romney accepting the nomination for President of the Untied States. No surprises there, he was always the front runner an out lasted his opponents, and it was a foregone conclusion months ago. The convention will probably be remembered more for Clint Eastwood's speech and for the number of lies and half-truths that were uttered during the 4 days in Tampa. Even a Fox News contributor had trouble with Paul Ryan's speech.

I expect conventions to be partisan. It is also assumed that some freedom will be made with the truth, shaded here an exaggeration there. The purpose of a convention is to package and launch the candidates, into the next stage of the election; especially where the there is no doubt on who will win that nomination. They are filled with feel good speeches about your nominee, and take downs of your opponent. 

This particular convention had all the shading and exaggeration expected, and the out right lies. The lies arrived at the convention having already figured into the campaigning that Romney done. I should be clear, these aren't disputed claims, that could either way, they are factual incorrect. All an honest partisan can do is explain that "yes the facts are wrong, but we think that's what he meant" or "sure that's not accurate but it's something he would have done if he could". 

The "We Built It" theme of the convention was drawn from a speech that Obama gave, where he utters the sentence "you didn't build it". The Romney campaign edited several sentences, the effect was the President seeming to say, you didn't build your own business. Red meat to a conservative. This was not the usual exaggeration. It was a lie. The speech, awkward wording aside, did not remotely mean what the republicans were implying. But that was the point. 

It is not unusual, for campaigns to high light sections of speech, remove context, and address only a single thought in a larger speech or action. Everyone does it , sadly. What happen here was a fictionalization of an event. It was different than a lie it was a new truth a crafted and more appealing truth. One that met their needs.That is a problem. If the present is so malleable that it can be made to mean anything, we are bereft of solidity. What was true today can with careful editing be false tomorrow. 

It was amazing to read about the lies and how they flowed without hesitation or self consciousness. As if you couldn't Google them, seconds after being spoken, to see the truth of it. The crowd wants to believe Obama is bad. The speakers deliver. Is this contempt for their audience or understanding of their base, perhaps the Republicans know that their audience isn't interested in the facts;or worse, that the places they go to find the facts, news,radio and Internet, can be counted on to publish the conservative version of the truth. 

The willingness to lie, and to be lied to, can not be good for the election process, or Democracy in general. It erodes trust which is the core of the compact between elected and electorate. 

I often wonder whether the political class wants an informed electorate or an ignorant one. There will be benefits and drawbacks for both. For me there is no choice. It is better to be informed, even if you don't like what you hear.