By Louis R. Avallone
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You probably have heard the song, “Little Lies” by Fleetwood Mac. You know the one. It goes, “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…” Well, there’s nothing sweet about this, and frankly, there’s almost nothing that makes me more angry.
You see, in a recent radio interview with MSNBC host Al Sharpton, President Obama said it did not matter that Senate Democrats didn’t want him campaigning for them in their home states. He explained that those incumbent Senators, many whom are fighting for their political lives, “are all folks who vote with me” and “have supported my agenda in Congress”. We get it. You’re the President and folks need to go along to get along with you.
But what he said next reveals such an utter disrespect for the truth that it represent one of the greatest threats to democracy everywhere, and an affront to every man and woman who has fought and died to preserve our liberty: He said he told these Senate Democrats running for re-election, “…you do what you need to do to win. I will be responsible for making sure our voters turn out.”
That’s right, just say whatever you need to say to the voters to win, and I’ll be waiting here at home in Washington, where we can resume my agenda when you get back.
In other words, it doesn’t matter that the latest polls consistently reflect that almost 3 out of every 4 of us believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction, or that Obama’s approval index is in negative territory.
It doesn’t matter to Obama how much the American people disapprove of his agenda for America. He only needs the Senate Democrats to further that agenda along – and not you, or me, or the sanctity of truthfulness in democracy.
But there was a time in our nation when elected officials subordinated their own partisan interests for the greater good of our national interests. There was also a time when there was shame for not following through on your promises, or respecting the will of your constituents. And when you didn’t, there was honor in accepting the consequences.
These principles were, in large measure, what brought about President Nixon’s resignation in 1974, when both Republicans and Democrats agreed that he had crossed the line. In fact, it was the most prominent of conservative Republicans – not Democrats – who eventually convinced Nixon to resign. And this was after Nixon had been reelected by the largest margin in U.S. history.
Today, however, doing “whatever you need to do to win” seems to be the moral compass of our politics, and it pays homage to the belief that the ends really do justify the means, even though this is the antithesis of what our founding fathers believed.
Not sure? Remember Obama promised that, “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor. If you like your health care plan, you can keep your health care plan.” Meanwhile, almost 100,000 Louisianans have had their health insurance policies cancelled this year.
He told us that the “Fast and Furious” program was started under the preceding Bush administration, but it wasn’t. In fact, the Obama administration, in October 2009, deliberately allowed American guns to make their way illegally into Mexico, where they were used by drug cartels to kill dozens – including a U.S. Border Patrol Agent.
Obama said there was, “Not even a smidgen of corruption,” when questioned about the IRS targeting political groups, such as the Tea Party. But now we know that wasn’t true, and that the IRS “did not follow the law”.
We were told by Obama that the attack on our embassy in Benghazi was because of a “shadowy character” in our country who made an extremely offensive video directed at Mohammed and Islam that sparked a “spontaneous riot”, but we now know that wasn’t true either. In fact, the original CIA talking points were revised at least 12 different times by the White House, just to fit their narrative – instead of the truth.
On Obama’s first day in office, he proclaimed to his staff and the press, “Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency.” Well, you can see from these few examples, nothing could be farther from the truth.
So while Mary Landrieu feigns disapproval of Obama, considering the 6-7 score she gave Obama during the Senate debate in Shreveport recently, she still votes 97% of the time with him, and his agenda for America – despite how 3 out of 4 of us feel about that.
You see, widespread lying simply makes it hard for citizens to make the best choices in the voting machines. And if our culture embraces a “do whatever you need to do to win” philosophy, then voting becomes a sham, and our democracy only an illusion.
But if the future of our nation is a choice between citizens voting on lies and those who care more about the “ends” than they do the “means”, then you’ll have to forgive me for getting up and leaving when the President starts singing, “Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…” just to get Senate Democrats elected. That’s a performance – and so out of tune with what we believe as Americans – I just can’t listen to it anymore.