The Politico’s Gary Bauer has an interesting story about When Presidents Lie, which wonders if Obama can recover. The answer is “probably not”
For Richard M. Nixon, it was “I am not a crook,†for George H. W. Bush it was “Read my lips: no new taxes†and for Bill Clinton it was “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.â€
Big presidential lies take many forms. What they all share is the potential to sever the bond of trust between a president and the people he was elected to serve—and therefore to destroy a presidency.
And while it may lack the intrigue of Watergate or the Monica Lewinsky imbroglio, “If you like your plan, you can keep it†may very well have a similar effect on Obama: effectively ending his presidency more than three years before it officially concludes.
Here’s a difference: the lies of Nixon and Clinton did not do actual harm to the American People. With Clinton, liberals were able to turn the impeachment around and increase his popularity a bit (remember, Clinton was impeached for lying to a federal grand jury, not his “sexual relations” comment, among other charges). Bush’s lie, which I won’t defend, raised people’s taxes a little bit. Obama’s lie involves most of the citizens of this country.
Also mentioned is Lyndon Johnson’s lie about the Gulf Of Tonkin.
Big presidential lies often prove fatal because, as Eric Alterman wrote in his book When Presidents Lie, “In almost all cases, the problem or issue that gives rise to the lie refuses to go away, even while the lie complicates the president’s ability to address it. He must now address not only the problem itself, but also the ancillary problem his lie has created.â€
We can certainly expect the liberal MSM to let the lies die, but they will be back come the 2014 mid-terms, aimed at the Democrats who said the same lies, and linking all Democrats who voted for Obamacare directly with Obama’s lies (this is presupposing that Republicans have the cajones to push it).
Really, trust in Obama is gone, and by his own making. Sure, his Base will never give up on him, at least not till the lies come back and directly affect themselves. The big question is, will the media give up on Obama, and, if not turn on him, like they did with Jimmy Carter, at least refuse to carry his water.
PS: I wrote this post Tuesday morning, never got around to posting it, ans noticed that Ace is discussing how the MSM seem to be excusing Obama’s lies.
