Weekly Opinion Editorial
TWO FACED
by Steve Fair
A person is called two-faced when they are
pleasant when they are with you, but say unpleasant things about you to other
people. Two-faced people are duplicitous,
deceitful, dishonest, and willing to do anything to get ahead. Their value system (if they have one) lacks a
true north. They practice situational
ethics. Two-faced people are universally
despised by principled people. They are
hypocrites!
No where do you see more two-faced people
than in the political arena. From
unprincipled candidates, unscrupulous political consultants, and unethical volunteers
who pull up opponent’s yard signs, their goal is to win at any cost. The truth
is sacrificed, dismantled and disfigured to fit their narrative. Half truths and lies are thrown into the public
square with the goal to convince the low information voter to vote their way
with little or no regard for veracity.
The increase
of money into politics has created a huge secular industry. Political consultants make mega bucks to
raise money, formulate a message, and get a candidate elected. A century ago, candidates ran their campaigns
on much smaller budgets, because voters paid attention.
Until Senator Mark Hanna became a full
timer campaign advisor to President William McKinney in the late 1880s,
political consulting was done by close friends on a volunteer basis. That changed in modern times, with every successful
political campaign- at every level- hiring political operatives to manage their
campaigns. Political science is offered at every major university and the
business of politics flourishes. The
lack of constant, continual engagement by voters has created the current political
swamp. The political business thrives because
of voter apathy. Three observations:
First, it reveals a total lack of
character to knowingly deceive voters. In
the past week, voters in Oklahoma received direct mail pieces from a candidate
running for State Auditor and Inspector (SA&I). In the mailer, the candidate claimed he was
going to help stop illegal immigration and would help former President Trump
build a border wall. Neither of those
are within the jurisdiction/authority of the SA&I’s duties. Nothing less than deceitful, deplorable trash
sent to mailboxes- all done by a political consulting firm owned/operated/managed
by so-called Christian believers. Shame
on them!
The attack on current State
Auditor Cindy Byrd reveals the sleazy, wicked, corrupt underbelly of politics
in Oklahoma. Byrd has done a good job as
SA&I and deserves a second term. She
is not the only person to be the target of deceitful campaign material this
cycle, but she is the most vulnerable for a statewide office that is critically
important for the citizens of the Sooner state.
Second, informing, not manipulating, of
voters should not be the goal of candidates and campaigns. Campaign material and media should enlighten
voters on what the aspirant stands for. Candidates
should identify issues and solutions. Reasonable
people can honestly disagree on solutions to issues. Lying, misrepresenting and caricaturing an
opponent’s position speaks to the lack of character of a candidate or
consultant. Oklahoma GOP primary voters
and Party leaders should demand substance, not nothingness from candidates
running on the Party brand.
Third, let the voter beware! Be leery of every claim made by political
candidates. Sadly, the Truth-in-Labeling
Act doesn’t apply to politics. Don’t
believe everything you get in the mail, see on social media or on TV. Before you vote, seek wise counsel from those
you trust. Pay attention to public
policy all the time! Confront and condemn
candidates and consultants who regularly lie, cheat and steal to win. Until that is done, dirty politics will
continue.
It’s disappointing when Republicans
display a lack of integrity in the public square. It is especially disgusting when that deceitful
behavior is coupled with quoting scripture and singing O How I Love Jesus. In the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, no man can serve two masters (Matt 6:24). When man tries, he becomes two-faced. May God convict the two-faced of their chicanery.
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