Sunday, August 27, 2006

Why do politicans lie?

Who do Politicians have to lie and embellish their records? Why can’t they just run an honest campaign? Here are some recent examples from the national news and local news.

Yahoo News:
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt is fast, capable of running a marathon in 3 hours, 19 minutes, 6 seconds. At least that's what a photo on the Ohio congresswoman's Web site shows. No way, says a rival who contends that the picture from the 1993 Columbus Marathon is doctored and complained to state election officials. A four-member commission panel ruled Thursday that there was enough evidence to look into the complaint.
State law prohibits candidates from publishing false statements designed to promote their election. The photo shows Schmidt near the finish line at the marathon with a time clock showing 3:19:06, which would have made her one of the top finishers. But a newspaper list of the top runners does not include Schmidt, said Nathan Noy, who is seeking to run as a write-in candidate against Schmidt.

More from Jean Schmidt:

Ohio State Rep. "Brinkman’s comments follow remarks made by Schmidt on the House floor attacking Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) for calling on the United States to withdraw troops from Iraq. Schmidt also said at the time that she had spoken with a former Marine colonel who, she said, called Murtha a coward for backing a pullout. The former Marine colonel, state Rep. Danny Bubp (R), later denied mentioning Murtha, a former Marine himself, by name and said he would never call a fellow Marine a coward." (The Hill)

From the NYTimes:

Councilwoman Yvette D. Clarke, a candidate for Congress in Brooklyn, acknowledged yesterday that she had fallen a few credits short of graduating from Oberlin College despite past claims in campaign literature that she had graduated from there. Ms. Clarke said in a statement last night, “I spent much of the day in contact with Oberlin College and Medgar Evers College to retrieve my academic records from two decades ago, convinced of my recollection that I had fulfilled the requirements for a bachelor’s degree.
“Contrary to that recollection, I have now discovered that I remain two classes short of the requirements for my degree. This is an embarrassing moment for me, but I feel it is important to set the record straight.” (Who doesn't remember completing college?)


In Utah County we had a candidate for the State House that ran on the stand, “Your Neighbor, Your Values.” It was later proven that he was terminated from several jobs for embezzlement and fraud.

But is the following a lie? In 1976 while campaigning to replace then Seantor Frank Moss, Hatch asked the question "what do you call a Senator after 18 years? You call him home." Is that lie, or just a simple campaign promise?

2 comments:

steve u. said...

As the winner of the 1993 Columbus Marathon, it just burns me that she would doctor her time.

Utah Conservative said...

Wow, you learn something new everyday. I did not know you ran marathons!