Lying is in the Republican DNA

by David Safier

Democrats occasionally stretch the truth and even lie outright now and then, especially when an embarrassing personal fact comes to light. Republicans lie regularly and unashamedly, both on the campaign trail and when they’re in office, and they slander their opponents whenever they get the chance. If political lying were a criminal offense, Democrats would be guilty of misdemeanors and parking violations, while Republicans would be guilty of the worst kind of felonies, stopping just short of murder.

There’s a reason Republicans lie so much more frequently and despicably than Democrats. Lying is built into the underlying philosophy of the Republican Party. They believe they belong in power, both for their own good and the good of the country, and they know the only way they can get elected, then pass legislation once they’re in office, is to lie, because the majority of people in this country like Democratic ideas better than Republican ideas.

Democratic policy is beneficial to more people than Republican policy, which gives Democrats a distinct advantage in an election on the issues. The majority of people in this country want good wages, employee and consumer protection, affordable health care, a well maintained infrastructure, and so on. They only want us to put our soldiers in harm’s way when it’s absolutely necessary.

Those are the kinds of things Democratic policy is all about, so Democrats believe if they more-or-less tell the truth, throwing in some exaggeration along the way and hiding their personal faults, they should win elections — that is, if the elections are won on the issues.

The Republican philosophy is entirely different. It believes that what’s good for the ruling class (read, The Rich) is good for the country. That’s what keeps America strong. Low wages help businesses prosper, which makes the country richer, so low wages are a good thing. An unemployment level of 6% or higher helps keep workers afraid of losing their jobs, so they work harder for less pay. Worker illness doesn’t hurt the bottom line since there are always plenty of others to take their place, so universal health care is an unneeded expense. Social welfare programs make people lazy and less willing to take bad jobs for low wages,so they’re counterproductive. And American blood needs to be spilled abroad whenever it helps maintain our power and increase our wealth.

How many people would vote for the Republican Party if it admitted to its core philosophy? Twenty percent? Thirty percent? Truly doctrinaire Republicans believe they must be in power, not just for their own personal gain, but for the good of the country. If the bleeding heart Democrats took over, they honestly believe, we would lose our wealth and our ascendancy in the world.So it’s their patriotic duty to win by any means necessary. Since they can’t win elections by running on their real agenda, they win by lying about their agenda and smearing their opponents with as much mud as they can. (They also do everything they can to divert people’s attention, of course, by claiming to stand for morality, motherhood and apple pie and making people believe they’re in danger and only the Republicans can keep the country safe, but really, that’s just another form of lying.) When they want to pass tax cuts for the rich, they say the cuts are for the middle class. When they want to bankrupt Social Security, they say they want people to have more money for their retirement, and on and on.

That’s the reason Republicans lie so boldly and so willingly. They’re the Daddy Party that knows what’s best for the country, even if the people are too childish to understand. They may lie, but they’re doing it for all of us. Father Knows Best.

I know I can be sarcastic sometimes, but this is not one of those times. I’m being deadly earnest. This is the way things are. And it’s why Democrats are always so frustrated and befuddled when the Republicans come after them with jaw-dropping lies and the nastiest of smears. Democrats can’t believe anyone would stoop so low, because the Democrats’ desire to tell the truth makes it difficult for them to understand how anyone can lie with such abandon. Republicans, on the other hand, know deep down in their DNA that lying is the only way for them to stay in power.