This article contains news with pro-Biden biased commentary.
I suppose Democrats do it, too. We’re all human and imperfect. It just seems Republicans do a lot more of it, and are more over-the-top.
Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA, photo bottom right) “tweeted a video on Saturday that altered the words of a disabled activist who interviewed Joe Biden, creating the false impression that Biden said he supported defunding police,” Twitter flagged the video, and the activist demanded an apology, NBC News reported. Read story here.
The video uses a computerized voice-over to add words Ady Barkan never said to a video clip of a conversation he had with Joe Biden in July 2020. Barkan, who has ALS, uses a computer to speak, so listeners can’t tell it’s not him.
In the interview, Barkan and Biden discussed reducing some of the responsibilities assigned to police and redirecting that funding to social services. At one point, Biden replied he’s proposed “that kind of reform,” and added, “That’s not the same as getting rid of or defunding all the police.” Then Barkan asked, “But do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding?” to which Biden replied, “Yes. Absolutely.”
It is clear from this that Biden does NOT support defunding vital police functions.
Republicans are lying about that. And are they ever. The doctored video clip was used in campaign ads claiming Biden supports “No police,” which would led to “Mob rule. Total chaos.”
It adds the words “to police” to Barkan’s question, so he appears to be asking, “But do we agree that we can redirect some of the funding to police?” which changes the meaning of his question and Biden’s reply to make it seem like they said something they never did, and which misrepresents their thinking and positions on the issue.
Republicans, facing a potential wipeout from the top down in November’s elections, are desperate for a campaign theme that might resonate with voters who are still undecided or might be persuaded to switch. This summer’s violent protests have been like manna from heaven for them. Those with very long memories recall that riots and unrest in the summer of 1968 propelled Nixon into the White House, by campaigning on a “law and order” theme. Republicans, from Trump down, are seizing on a similar theme, hoping it will help them retrieve their sagging prospects.
I tried to find something on the internet about Democrats accusing Republicans of wanting the riots, but all I came up with was Democrats accusing Republicans of stoking the riots, which means something entirely different and arguably is true, and stories like this:
“Republicans accuse Joe Biden’s Democrats of wanting to bring ‘anarchy and looting’ to all of America and refusing to honor cops and troops – while claiming Donald Trump is ‘fighting for you'”
which isn’t true. (Source here.) Notice they even dragged in the military. So, like I said, Republicans do more of this than Democrats, and are more extreme about it.
But look. If you sold beans that way, you’d go to jail under our truth-in-advertising laws. Unlike commercial advertising, we can’t regulate political speech, so in the political arena, it’s caveat emptor on steroids.
To answer the question in the headline, they can’t help it, they were born that way.
Photo: GOP Rep. Steve Scalise. Look, I know congressmen are liars, but he’s a CREATIVE liar. He voted against the MLK holiday, too. Twice. (Read that story here)
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Politicians of all parties all around the world lie. All human beings lie. It is human to lie, and almost inhuman to not lie. If one thinks of a world where we were all totally honest and never lied is almost unthinkable as that world would be filled with violence, unless we all turned into Vulcans and it was ok if our spouse cheats on us. That if something is logical then it is ok to do.
The fact lying is a common human trait doesn’t make it good. In politics, deception undermines democracy and informed policy debate.
Maybe it is a question of who is putting out a better grade of propaganda. Both parties do that and no matter who is President the US government puts out at least some propaganda.