LIES, LIES

The result of unfettered speech

The lies that cascade from republican candidates and party functionaries are so common that they literally define their communication. The Big Lie, that the Democrats stole the last election, is still believed by a plurality of republican voters, The Big Lie morphed into a fraudulent attempt to restrict voting under the false supposition that non-citizens were voting. The scope ranges from the latest lie that Haitians eat your pets to falsely blaming Biden for delaying government help during climate related disasters. Their hypocrisy is boundless, taking credit for projects that they voted against for example.

 Why would what we like to think as the leading democracy in the world, tolerate a level of political discourse that is frequently unadulterated fraud? The reason is that it is sheltered by the rubric of free speech. Everything short of telling someone to overthrow the government now rather than hypothetically gets a free pass. One result of this miasma is that social psychosis coexists with reality.

Lowell Bergman, a notable journalist recently provided historical perspective on the decline of truth in public discourse in an online UC Berkeley lecture. A republican president, Herbert Hoover, recognized the importance of honesty in information delivered to the public when he signed into law, the Radio Act of 1927.  Enshrined in that law was the obligation of the public media, radio at the time, to function in the public interest and convenience. A corollary of this obligation was the “fairness doctrine.” Broadcaster’s licenses were revoked for propagating lies. President Reagan repealed these regulations opening the door to the current information wild west. The problem is compounded by the steady demise of newspapers and the drift toward social media like Tik Tok as the leading source of information.  

Only the restoration of some degree of restraint will abate the endless stream of lies that have now polluted public discourse. Giving Democrats control of all three federal branches is the only hope of turning this trend around.