From Nixon And Agnew To Romney And Ryan: Has Honesty Improved? NO!

On this day in 1974, President Gerald Ford pardoned former President Richard Nixon, preventing any prosecution of Nixon for involvement in the Watergate scandal.

This highly controversial decision would undermine Ford, and help to cause his defeat in 1976, when he lost the Presidency to Jimmy Carter by the small margin of two percent, and close election defeats in Ohio and Hawaii.

Years later, it would be concluded that Ford did the right thing, but the issue of Nixon’s long career of lying and deception still remains as a troubling legacy.

And now, we have two candidates who are tallying up a record of lies and deception unseen since the time of Nixon and Spiro Agnew, his Vice President!

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have been lying their way across America, since Romney announced for President, and since Ryan became the Vice Presidential running mate less than a month ago.

It could be argued that every politician lies, and cannot be trusted, and while that is a sad commentary that people believe is a given, it is not true if one compares pledges to facts.

One can pledge to do things, and much of it does not work out, for various reasons and factors.

But to make claims that are shown to be factually incorrect, and fail to acknowledge the errors, and double down on the lies when everyone knows they are lies, is a method of demagoguery that has become common to both Romney and now, belatedly, Ryan.

Do we want an administration that insults us, by lying constantly, on the idea that most people might be ignorant of the facts and the truth? Or do we want an administration which might pledge many changes, and only gets some done, but without telling lies over and over again in the process?

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are becoming the most dishonest team to run for President since at least Nixon and Agnew, and we know what happened 40-45 years ago!

Is this what the American people should have to deal with, which will only add to their cynicism and disgust with their government?

Why cannot Romney and Ryan run an honest, forthright campaign, without spreading lies, deceit, rumors, myths, and going for the lowest common denominator?

In the long run, however, it is clear that the American people, in polls, do not trust or even like Romney, and the attitude toward Ryan is also being shaped by his behavior, so this time, what Nixon and Agnew did in 1968 and 1972 will not work, but still, it is a tragedy for the nation that the honesty level of Romney and Ryan is the lowest since Nixon and Agnew!