Why do we need to defeat Donald Trump and ensure that a Democrat occupies the White House? Let’s next consider mendacity.
Nobody likes a liar.
One of the first stories I can remember was about Chicken Little, who frightened her community by telling them that the sky was falling. That was not true and when the untruth was repeated, there were consequences. In religion classes, I was taught that it was a sin to tell a lie. Why? \
The answer is uncomplicated. If someone tells you a lie, you cannot rely on anything you are told in the future. For a society to function, it must rely on the truth. The consequences of lying are magnified by public position. In science and medicine, a single published lie is a grave offense, punished by banishment from the community, sometimes permanently. The same is true in journalism, whether the mistruth is deliberate or not. In legal matters, a lie under oath is so serious that it is considered a crime, depending on circumstances, even a felony – carrying a jail sentence.
That brings us to Donald Trump. There is no question that a jury found that he had lied in filing official documents. This should not have surprised anyone. Fact checkers from the Washington Post have documented more than thirty thousand untruths in his public statements over a limited time period. This does not consider his notorious business dealings or the lies implicit in his manifold infidelities. The simple unvarnished truth is that Trump has shown himself to be an epic, serial liar.
Some lies are characterized as “little white” ; polite lies with no consequences. Many of Trump’s falsehoods fall into the category of the “big lie” a technique deployed by Adolph Hitler in his rise to power. The biggest whopper of all is the indisputable lie that he did not lose the 2020 election to Joseph Biden. This lie, still repeated daily, caused a “sky is falling” response in the Capital insurrection and continues to pose a clear threat to our democratic institutions. For a far deeper account of Trump lies read the Wikipedia topic “False or misleading statements by Donald Trump”.
A presidential candidate makes promises as to what he will do if elected. We cannot trust that such promises from Trump will be kept. Treaties with foreign governments require trust that the provisions of treaties will be followed in time of need. Other governments cannot and will not believe that Trump will meet treaty obligations and will seek alliances elsewhere, weakening us.
Also of critical importance is that Republican party members, with few exceptions, endorse Trump’s lies. They cannot be trusted either.
Have a heart and vote for Democratic candidates – across the ballot, in November.