For some odd reason, people latch on to a public person’s coattails and are forever a fan. Even when presented with factual information that the public person lied, the fans have cognitive dissonance and find a way to ignore what they just heard. It seems their worth is falsely attributed to this choice to follow the person, so if anything makes them feel they made a mistake, it bothers them greatly.
What frustrates me is some of these public people do not feel it is necessary to tell the truth, when a good lie will work better. Being caught lying does not harm their reputation as much as it should. Some would say, lying and cheating is just a part of winning. While, that may be true to far too many, it should not be. Too many followers believe these folks’ BS, so the public person needs to get it right and not use their fan’s puppy dog loyalty.
Yesterday, one of those people Representative Paul Gosar routed an anime where his avatar murders the avatar of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, better known as AOC. This is not the first time Gosar has defamed the position he holds, but this is well beneath a sense of decency. We need our elected officials to be a part of our better angels and not among our worse demons. This may be deemed a criminal act, but it is clearly an immoral one. Sadly, his followers are cheering on this dereliction of duty.
Then there is the ever-persistent poor actions and behavior of Senator Ted Cruz. Cruz once labeled the most despised Senator in Congress by members of both parties. He has tended to prefer grandstanding than working with others and single-handedly, brought the United States to within twenty-four hours of defaulting on our debts, until ten female Senators from both parties told him to get out of the pool and solved the problem like adults.
Lately, Cruz has been on a roll, knowing he has a followers believe his BS. But, the thing that bother me most about Cruz or any elected officials is speaking of his state seceding from the Union. Really? Setting aside the seditious nature of that stance, he is really not that stupid to advocate for a secession from the Union. He is just lying because it makes it sound like he is a statesman. To be frank, statesman is not a word that is top of mind to describe the Senator.
People believe your BS, so please do your best to get it right. Whether you are a conspiracy monger like Alex Jones or Tucker Carlson or a politician like the most recent former president or his sycophants, two of which are noted above, we must demand the truth from these folks. Democracy requires an informed public, so when public people purposefully lie to misinform or even disinform, it hurts all of us.
What can we do? Do not believe a word someone known for lying says. They earned this treatment. So, if you start at the point, the odds are in your favor that you are correct. Check multiple sources of news, where they publish errata when they get it wrong. Do not get your news from social media or verify it if you do. I would encourage folks to check what I wrote above with other sources, eg.
When people knowingly are untruthful, it is frustrating. I recognize all politicians lie, but some lie more than they tell the truth.
musingsofanoldfart 
It’s a bloody mess..
I whole heartedly agree Keith!
“Do not believe a word someone known for lying says. They earned this treatment. So, if you start at the point, the odds are in your favor that you are correct. Check multiple sources of news, where they publish errata when they get it wrong. Do not get your news from social media or verify it if you do.
Thanks Cindy. I should add an obvious statement, but this kind of behavior should not be tolerated regardless of party affiliation. I left a message with the representative saying how inappropriate sending this video is and is beneath the dignity of the office. Keith
i’m soooo happy to hear that!!!💖💖💖
Thanks. Keith
💖💖❤️
Maybe Cruz should be shown photos of bloated bodies of confederate soldiers along the fields of says Antietam, Gettysburg, Chickamauga and Spotsylvania Court House totalling 126,000+ dead and ask him how well such ridiculous talk worked out last time. Or does he too think he can mop up the blood with a handkerchief? (Fool!)
Roger, this is a good example of why this is just bluster and not a plan. I would love a reporter ask him “do you really mean that or are you just blowing smoke?” Keith
I’d pay to watch that video
Me too.
That is the big problem. Some are so arrogant, that they believe their own BS and never consider they could be slightly wrong. Others know they are wrong and but are so arrogant to think that everybody believes them anyway because it is THEM… hmm, unfortunately, there are too many confirming it.
Erika, arrogance is a key word. Many know they are lying yet do it anyway. When you think about it, lying with intent to misinform shows a huge lack of respect for the followers. The former president held several rallies in February, 2020, later admitting he knew of the dangers of COVID-19 in an interview on February 7, 2020. He knowingly put his most ardent followers in danger without telling them. There is another word to describe that behavior – the word is sociopathic. Keith
Sociapathic, yes, that describes it well too. Telling lies that harm others, even though the person knows full well that they are lies, is the worst way to betray people who trust you. Most of all, when you are responsible for them due to your position!
Agreed. Too many people have died because of his lack of leadership, lack of competence and lack of truth telling.
Note to Readers: If there is a reason to call a politician, actions like Paul Gosar are high on the list. The message can be simple. That kind of behavior is demeaning to the office regardless of party. We deserve our elected officials to conduct themselves in a manner that is something to emulate. We can disagree with someone without taking his or her head off. We must have civil discourse.
PS – It has been reported Republican House leaders do not wish to condemn the Gosar action. It has also been reported they are thinking of removing from committees the thirteen GOP representatives who voted in favor of the infrastructure bill. Combining these two stances, what conclusions can you resolve from the actions of the so-called leaders of the party?
As ridiculous as Cruz’s talk about secession is, I admit some delight in the thought of Texas trying to exist on their own. I wonder if we could carve out Austin, though?
Janis, what Cruz and others are not factoring in, is Texas is turning more purple. Or, maybe they are. It is a key reason the Republicans feel the need to suppress votes. This has always been a changing demographic issue, so they seized the momentum of The Big Lie promulgated by the former president.
Keith
Hello, Keith. I’ve been hiding out from wordpress the past several months or so – and reading less news, but your posts are always fresh and insightful. Best of everything to you – Susan
Thanks Susan. Glad to see you stopping by. Take care, Keith
What upsetting is this vicious, vulgar attack strategy works. You’d expect people to be repelled by these demagogues, but apparently it works.
Bumba, it does, but I hope that people will see this vile behavior for what it is. In addition to McConnell, a maligned GOP representative for voting for the infrastructure is now given the floor to rebut the tribal bullying with rationale. I am also liking the sentencing of the January 6 insurrectionists is getting tougher. Keith
Note to Readers: Followers of Tucker Carlson may be surprised that I lumped him together with conspiracy activist Alex Jones of Infowars, but Carlson is the one who chose that path. The leaders of Fox News already threw him
under the bus by saying under oath that what Carlson says should not be considered as news as he is not a news person. Now, Carlson has opted to peddle unfounded conspiracy theories in a similar manner to Jones. To be frank, such a comparison is not one to write home about.