It appears that some politicians have a tendency to distort the truth. Some are even outright dishonest. The current occupant of the White House is a prime example of this. There is also a particular congressman from California who seems to struggle with telling the truth.
However, beyond specific individuals such as Joe Biden and Adam Schiff, it seems that politics in general attracts people who are skilled at manipulating the truth for their own benefit. It's possible that this is due to a certain type of narcissistic personality that is drawn to political office, where people may be more motivated by personal ambition than by a desire to serve the public.
As a result, it is not surprising that some politicians resort to exaggerating their own qualifications or altering facts in order to win elections, especially if they lack confidence in their own abilities.
So they juice up the details. In the case of one recently elected New York state representative, the list of “made-up credentials” becomes like “the legend of Paul Bunyan!” Recently, the New York Post reported that congressman-elect George Santos fibbed about his credentials.
“Fibbed” is a rather nice way to put it. Actually, George Santos lied. He misled voters by listing things he’d done, kind of like weaving a tall tale of fictional renown. To prove his worthiness for office, Santos said that he worked for financial titans Goldman Sachs and Citigroup. He didn’t.
Furthermore, the Republican congressman has admitted he did not graduate from college. In addition, Santos said he embellished a few other details about his personal life, his religion, and his sexuality. Voters may have used these “supposed” skills when casting their ballots.
Like many politicians, Santos proclaims that these twisted tall tales will not distract from his ability to perform his duties. Really? One would assume that being elected as a public servant would sort of entail having a strong sense of integrity.
Being able to tell the truth should rank highly on the list of “good credentials.” If you need to fabricate your self-worth to get elected to office, maybe you shouldn’t run in the first place. Lying and deception, while appearing to be necessary for being a politician, should be the opposite.
Liars and cheats have no place in public office; despite how prevalent such characteristics seem to be in those who end up with the privilege. So, what should happen to George Santos? How about the idea that New Yorkers use him to set an example?
If it’s discovered that a job applicant lied on their resume, that person is usually fired when the lie is uncovered. Why should it be different when trying to secure votes for public office? If a politician is discovered to have purposefully lied, they should be fired immediately!
