The first debate is over and Americans are discussing how Governor Romney looked presidential. We are debating his newfound policies that make him more palatable to the working class. We are wondering who's plans will help make the economic recovery faster. Comparisons are discussed regarding which health care plan will benefit most people. Numbers are getting crunched, economists are weighing in on which is the better phiolosphy:Trickle Down or Demand Driven? Yet all of these conversations, debates and deliberations only have value if the candidate is to be believed. He is not. Why are Americans even debating Mitt Romney's ideas when the only debate we should be having is about Mitt Romney himself?
Just suppose that my neighbor has a dog that comes into my yard and bites my daughter. Nothing too serious, but I did witness it and my daughter is crying and I don't want it to happen again. I go over to the neighbor's house and knock on the door and he comes out and we talk about his dog biting my daughter. Immediately he says, "What dog. I don't have a dog." I point out to him that I have seen him walking this particular dog, the one that bit my daughter, every evening before dinner for the past two years. I tell him that I'm not looking to sue him or anything but would appreciate it if he kept the dog on a leash. Again he looks me right in the eye and declares, "I don't own a dog." I walk away a bit baffled but decide that this was the best I could get from him.
Two days later I see the same dog in my yard leaving a large pile of dog crap. I walk over to the neighbor's house and mention this to my neighbor and he says, "My dog doesn't poop in the neighbor's yards." I tell him that this was the same dog that bit my daughter, the same dog that just walked in his house and is, as we speak, licking his hand, and that I saw this dog leave his droppings in my yard. "Yes," he says, "this is my dog. He has never bitten anyone and he doesn't poop in your yard." Avoiding any further confrontation I go home.
Later in the week the dog gets a hold of my boots I left on my back porch and takes them back to his house where he chews both boots into small pieces of leather that end up scattered around the yard. I make my way back over to the neighbor's house and point out the shredded boots in the yard. My neighbor gets very upset with me and says, "I don't even own a dog. Why are you telling me about this?" I remind him that this week alone he has told me he doesn't own a dog, he does own a dog, and he doesn't own a dog. He nods. I start to really get steamed.
Finally, the neighbors, who have been having similar issues, hold a neighborhood meeting to discuss what to do about the dog and the neighbor. As it turns out these problems have been going on for well over a year with various claims and denials of dog ownership by the neighbor. But the most interesting turn happens when the neighbor himself shows up. "Yes," he fesses up, "I do own this wonderful dog. But I just got him yesterday. He was a shelter dog and I rescued him. Can't we give him a break?"
Chuck, from the down street, chimes in, "I saw you beating that dog with a hose just yesterday."
"What dog?"
This is what President Obama faced off against in the debate. Does it seem a bit surreal to you? Me too. How do you debate with a guy who would lie about owning a dog? My point is this: Why are we discussing the merits of Mitt Romney's words on any given day? You know and I know and everyone esle knows that he will say anything at any time for a vote or a buck--and not necessarily in that order. Shouldn't we all be putting the candidate through the honesty filter? I don't mean his words. I mean the candidate himself. Liars lie. So don't believe them. Is that so difficult?