half-truths are lies
What subtle moral code exists that allows thing to slide if they're only "misleading" or "partial truths?" I'm so tired of both political campaigns sporting flat out lies. I desperately want a debate moderator to cut in mid-sentence and say "that's a flat out lie." Please. It's not okay.
John McCain... everyone Everyone knows that William Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground in the late 60s and 70s. They set bombs. But everyone also knows that William Ayres is an English professor who lectures nationally (including Harvard), has written 15 books, was given a "citizen of the year" award for the city of Chicago, and sits on a number of charity boards because of his work with at-risk youth.
Please stop lying (fear-mongering) by all that you're leaving out. It's okay with me if you tell the story. But tell the whole story. It's so far off, it's a flat out lie.
Barack Obama... stop pretending 13 minute campaign ads are "documentaries" when they have so many partial facts. We know John McCain was involved with the Keating Savings & Loan conspiracy in the early 1990s. He clearly shouldn't have put pressure on regulators. But please mention that he was never charged with a crime. That he was reprimanded by the ethics committee, but was considered the least involved of the five senators. And still McCain has called the incident "the worst mistake of my life."
Please stop lying by all that you're leaving out. It's okay with me if you tell the story. But tell the whole story. Add the idea that the Keating de-regulation have lead to today's financial crisis, and we've got an insinuation so misleading (McCain caused the financial crisis), it's a flat out lie.
What makes it worse from both campaigns is that it's not like the facts are murkey. Fact-checking is becoming big again (a plus for all of us). We know you've heard the press reports, the documentary evidence. And yet to quote www.factcheck.org, you do it "again"
There's a moral component to language. Stop lying.
