Q: How can you tell when a Republicon spokesbot is lying?
A: Her lips are moving.
I used to get insensibly crazed whenever I watched certain Rcon campaign spokesbots and GOP pundits.
Then I stumbled upon a video featuring former CIA officer Susan Carnicero that changed my entire perspective.
Carnicero describes various deception indicators, and talks about looking for “clusters” of these indicators, two or more verbal/non-verbal indicators in the first five seconds after asking a question. Just one may be a sign of nervousness, or just a random habit a person does all the time. But several indicators together in a short period of time? You’ve got something worth commenting on.
Yes, the video is long, but it is worth your 47 minutes. What follows is a summary that I hope will induce you to watch the whole thing.
VERBAL/ORAL CUES
Evasiveness
Filibusters we have all heard in a response to a simple question that does not include an answer to the question.
Failure to Deny
All the President’s Men had a wonderful term for this: the “non-denial denial”. A long involved filibuster that does not actually include a direct denial.
Sudden Anger and Aggression
Turning the attack back on you and trying to make you or someone else’s wrongdoing the focus of the question.
Exclusionary qualifiers (“sometimes, not all the time” statements)
Basically, for the most part, fundamentally...
Perception qualifiers (dressing up the lie)
Frankly, truthfully, to be perfectly honest with you...
Convince vs. Convey
Instead of a yes or no answer, the person spills forth a whole list of other information designed to convince you what a good person s/he is, some of which may even be true, that has nothing to do with the issue at hand, and also does not directly convey information that answers the question.
Evoking religion
God knows I am telling the truth, I swear on a stack of Bibles, as God is my witness...
The difference between I wouldn’t and I didn’t
“I would never do something like that” is a very different statement from “I didn’t do that”
NON VERBAL CUES
An inappropriate pause
Ten years ago today, were you at the movies? (A pause there makes sense.) Ten years ago today, were you robbing a bank? (A pause there is a big red flag!)
Verbal/non-verbal disconnect
Shaking the head no while saying yes
Grooming gestures/hands to the face
Smoothing hair, fixing tie, looking at watch, scratching nose, stroking beard, rubbing eyes
Inappropriate smiling
Smiling when talking about harming someone, or saying something else that should not be pleasurable
Anchor Point movements
Feet for a standing person, hips for a seated person, the foot in the air when legs are crossed, shifting in the chair, if arms/hands were resting, do they stay rested?
Please watch the whole video, then buy the book: Spy the Lie—Former CIA officers teach you how to detect deception.
Now when I watch Republicon interviews I gleefully count all the deceptive markers.
0.37: “I want to have a great open relationship with our press” (while shaking her head no)
0.43—1:30 long period of third party attacking
2:05: after the meme “alternative facts” is challenged: (brushes her hair back—anchor point movement and grooming)
2:17—2:57 long period of third-party attacking
3:09: I don’t think anybody can prove the [numbers]... I don’t think you can prove those numbers one way or the other, there’s no way to quantify crowds (while shaking her head no)
3:37: complaining about Chuck Todd laughing at her: “I’ll just ignore it” (while shaking her head no)
I could go on but I want to get this posted tonight!
These techniques are great for two reasons.
Members of the blue team are analyzers by nature, we believe in science, and we love a mental challenge. We can almost make this into a game that we then share among ourselves.
Members of the red team will not be able to stop doing these things just because we tell them in advance what we are looking for. They do not process and analyze in the same way as they talk, and it takes incredible effort for the brain to process two contradictory actions.
Here is a test to prove that: try rotating your ankle in order to draw a circle in the air with your big toe, and then try to draw a series of figure 8s in the air with your index finger. It will be extremely difficult to keep drawing the circle—the foot will want to change itself to match the finger. Even when you are deliberately trying to make two opposite things match, it is difficult to do.
We have all complained about how they get away with their lies. We can't stop them from lying, but we can shine a light on it and try to persuade other people to notice the deception markers and thereby discredit them.
The goal is to get to the point where the liespotting game becomes so widespread that even people who don’t usually pay attention to this kind of thing start noticing. Did you see Rconxyz on Meet the Press? Look in his eyes, see how he lies! OMG it’s so obvious today!
If we talk about this information and drop it into casual conversation and spread it throughout the culture, references will start showing up on social media. It can even turn into a drinking game: take mini-shots during a press conference, or sips of a mimosa while watching the Sunday shows!
As we encourage more people to notice these deception markers, eventually we will reach the tipping point. Suddenly all the things the spokesbots regularly do that up until now have made them “seem credible” to their base, will turn into flashing red lights that say “I’m lying I’m lying I’m lying can’t you tell I’m lying and here’s another lie just for good measure now I will start humming the end of The Boxer—lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie / lie lie lie, lie lie lie, lie lie lie lie / lie lie lie la-la-la-la liiieee...”
So please watch the video, read the book, read the similar books out there, and let’s teach ourselves how to do this. Then we can use these techniques to shine a light on the deception until even R partisans have to concede that all the signs are there.
And when you get discouraged just remember, we outnumber them.
Previous TRUE BLUE REPORT diaries
Jan 22: Why I prayed for the President* today
Jan 21: The only silver lining in the midst of these clouds
Inaugural (!) diary: Stop expecting Republicons to make sense