Undeniable Truths in American Politics

Common sense and wisdom are rare qualities these days. Over the 60 plus years of my life, I have come to recognize some undeniable truths. They have helped me understand why things are the way they are.

-July 2015

• All politicians lie; Some are just better at it than others.
• There are no unbiased media. All media and news people have bias. Some are better at hiding them than others.
• Action speaks louder than words; See what they do not what they say.
• People of like minds hang together. Another word, you can judge a person's character by the company they keep.
• There are no coincidences in politics.
• "Never let a crisis go to waste" - "The Godfather of politics" Rahm Emanuel.
• Money drives Washington DC - Especially PAC and lobbyists of K Street.
• Congress is an exclusive club. They make laws that apply to the rest of us excluding themselves.
• There exists a double standard (Democrats and Republicans), are treated differently by media.
• Never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter. - Jonathan Gruber.

• Politicians must lie. That's how they get elected. They will tell the people what they want to hear. They will do this with sincerity. The better politicians will even go further. They will tell you one thing and do exactly the opposite and then convince you that he is doing your bidding.
• All media has bias. They live in their own bubble. Most times, they will not admit to bias because they just don't get it. Some will go out of their way to convince people they are down the middle. In my opinion, it is better if the media admit to their bias and let the audience decide.
• Action is what matters, not words. A case in point, President Obama has delayed decision on building the XL pipeline for a few years. He always defer the question to others claiming the process must take it's course. However, at the end, when all the "i" are dotted and "t" crossed, he decided against it, killing thousands of jobs which he claim he wants to create.
• People are a social animal. You can tell a person's character by the people he chooses to associate. Some people think they know President Obama pretty well. He seems to be a good family man and cares about people. Who does he hang out with? Check the White House visitor logs. Rev. Al Sharpton, Jay Z, George Soros and Jon Stewart are just a few...
  Prior to getting elected, he was a member of Rev. Wright's church. He was friend with Bill Ayers and Rahm Emanuel.
• Coincidences - Here is one example. There are many others. The General Petraeus sex scandal is another.
• Never let a crisis go to waste. How many times after a shooting incident, a politician will give a speech on the need for more gun control? This usually happens before the details of the story is even known.
• Money drives Washington. In the 2012 cycle candidates in the Massachusetts Senate race alone spent over $85m. That is small change compared with that year's presidential contest, in which $2 billion was spent (the total cost of the 2012 elections, including congressional races, topped $7 billion).
• The Congress of the United States Club. Did you know insider trading laws does not apply to Congress?
• Double Standards - Here is a story in Newsmax by Judith Miller. Democrats and Republicans are treated very differently. How come?
• The stupidity of the American voter - In his own words Jonathan Gruber, who help craft the controversial Affordable Care Act.

I decided to write this down to remind me that politicians are very different than the rest of us. In their defense, our current electoral process is geared to make this the norm. I wrote a hub on how to improve the situation. Please check it out.