Lies, Damn Lies, and Republican leaders
Most people are liars.
That’s the sobering conclusion from dozens of reliable studies conducted across nearly every demographic group and culture. The findings are startling:
Nearly everyone lies, but most lie infrequently. More than 75% of people report that they lie only once or twice a day.
“Little white lies” make up the majority of cases. One study found that nearly 90% of reported lies were in this category, while just over 10% were "big lies."
However, a small percentage of people are prolific liars. In one study, five percent of participants were responsible for more than 50% of all lies told.
Children start lying around age two and can lie convincingly by age four.
I don’t know if Republican leaders got a head start lying as kids or whether they honed the practice later in life, but there’s no question they’ve become prolific liars. Two top North Carolina Republicans are especially problematic: House Speaker Tim Moore and Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson. Both have proven themselves to be shameless liars with no qualms about shredding the truth for political advantage.
Moore’s lies are legendary and long-standing, involving accusations of his involvement in sexual favors, adultery, influence peddling, and more. He lies so often – and gets away with it – that members of his own party call him Teflon Tim. In their eyes, no doubt, that’s a compliment. Moore’s their guy, just like Trump. Lying is what they do.
Robinson’s lies are less polished and more vulgar. In remarks to Wake County Republicans about school funding in North Carolina, for example, Robinson pulled a “fact” out of thin air and presented it as truth. He said “It has already been proven that school systems get better results on less money.” Naturally, Robinson offered no proof of his claim, because there isn’t any. The exact opposite is true.
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I’m willing to grant that just about everyone lies, but that doesn’t mean all lies are equal. Many people think Trump’s lies about the 2020 election are treasonous and dangerous. And far too many people simply don't care that he lies.
Which leads me to this final point: We’re in a scary place, folks. Our democracy is being overwhelmed by liars and demagogues who don’t give a damn about telling the truth. That’s happening at the national level with Trump, and also here in North Carolina with GOP leaders like Tim Moore and Mark Robinson. Their lies serve their agendas of getting elected, gaining power and taking control.
Given the avalanche of lies, it’s difficult for any of us to ascertain the truth. My approach is to assume I’m being told lies until I have indisputable evidence from many different sources. I’m especially skeptical of anything coming from Trump, Moore, or Robinson.
In the meantime, there seems to be only one way to stop them. At the ballot box.