On Electing Liars

I like this quote from Jarod Kintz’s book “This Book is Invisible: ”On average, women are better liars than men. But the best liars are men, because politicians are still predominantly men.” And the reason I bring this up is that South Carolinians in the 1st Congressional District just elected themselves one massive liar. A politician, a liar, a man not especially good at being either – former governor, former congressman and former family man, Mark Sanford.

 

Now lots of people are saying that Republicans are establishing a new outreach program. They’re electing adulterers. I really couldn’t care less about that. Adultery is something we see on both sides. Bill Clinton, Ted Kennedy, John Edwards, the list goes on and on.

What I question is the judgment in electing such a bad liar as Mark Sanford whose insanely inartful lie to his staffers led to what amounts to a well-known American meme, hiking the Appalachian Trail. When I first heard that quote I knew it for the lie that it turned out to be.

Politicians lie, but there is an art and science to a lie. And sometimes the best lie is simply telling the truth.

Now in truth, Colbert-Busch didn’t have a gnat’s chance in a hailstorm in this district.  Mitt Romney beat Barack Obama by 18% last year. A map view of the district’s boundaries reveals gerrymandering writ large.  It’s a KKK district, if you will – Whites Only.

And in a special election, it’s all about turnout. Participation is miserable in off year special elections. So Sanford was able to get out that special kind of voter who will vote for anything other than a Democrat. Even a really bad liar.

So this is good news to liars, especially really bad ones. Take heart if you are a Republican. Republican voters these days don’t care about anything other than what the letter beside your name is. They vote for the letter, not the politician.

And I should know this because that is how I vote. Except if given the choice between a Republican and a really bad Democratic liar, I will cast my ballot for Mr. Under Vote.