Perhaps the worst discrepancy of all is Obamas campaign pledge to be post-partisan
By Dr. Merrill Matthews
The United States is experiencing a deficit of public trust in its institutions because it has a deficit of truth from its leaders.
But it was also a result of the Democrats claim that given control and the public trust they would be both honest and fiscally responsible.
While most Americans maintain a little healthy skepticism about governments ability to solve all our problems that skepticism began to escalate during the presidency of George W. Bush. Thats in large part because Republicans who controlled both Houses of Congress until 2006 constantly talked like fiscal conservatives even as they voted like big-spending liberals.
The public soured on that obvious duplicity and put Democrats in charge of Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008. That power shift was in large part a result of the voters losing trust in Republicans because their words didnt match their deeds.
Given control and the public trust that they would be both honest and fiscally responsible how have Democrats fared of late?
Well theyve been neither running up massive deficits to finance spending programs that were supposed to jump-start the economy.
When the boom never happened just as countless economists predicted Democrats never owned up to the failure of their policies. Rather they seem to have adopted a strategy of telling Americans: Believe what I tell you not what you see--or what you feel in your own pocketbooks.
As a former philosophy professor I used tell my students about the ways people test for truth. One of those is the correspondence test where claims about someone or something must correspond to what the individual has personally experienced. If those claims dont correspond people are likely to conclude that the claims are false.
The Obama administration repeatedly violates the
correspondence test.
Last week the administration went on another spin binge trying to convince the public that the stimulus bill is working creating or saving 3.6 million jobs.
While the economy may be slowly turning around Americans dont believe its because of the presidents stimulus package -- and more likely in spite of it. They have looked at the sluggish economy the almost intractable unemployment rate clinging to 9.5 and they know what they see doesnt correspond to the Democrats claims.
For example:
- Wells Fargo recently announced it is cutting 3800 jobs and closing 638 independent consumer finance offices;
- At its June meeting the Federal Reserve Bank lowered its prospects for economic growth;
- There is constant talk of a possible double-dip recession; and
- Investors continue to embrace Treasuries even with almost no interest because they are concerned about economic and market volatility.
And the presidents questionable claims dont end with the economy. Obama continues to praise his signature piece of legislation the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. ObamaCare) by asserting:
- Obamacare will lower health care costs even as the public sees them rising;
- That the legislation wont affect Americans current coverage if they like it even as they see employers scrambling to determine what and if they will provide continued coverage; and
- That health care wont be rationed even as the administration imposes through a recess appointment a doctor who has repeatedly praised rationing as a way to create a more equitable health care system.
Perhaps the worst discrepancy of all is President Obamas campaign pledge to be a postpartisan president a healer who would bring Republicans and Democrats together.
And yet major legislation has been repeatedly forced through with few or no Republican votes.
Plus almost none of the transparency that was promised has emerged. Indeed as with Dr. Donald Berwicks recess appointment to head the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows the administration seems to go out of its way to bypass the normal processes to avoid transparency.
Washington is so divided that it may be unhealable apart from a major political change. As novelist Vladimir Nabokov said (in a different context): The poison was in the wound you see. And the wound wouldnt heal.
Republicans claim they have learned their lesson and this time their words and deeds will match--if only the public will trust them ... in November.
But it is remarkable how hard it is for politicians to make the connection between truth and trust even though they are the foundations of our most important relationships like friendship and marriage. Isnt governing one of those important relationships?
Henry Clay once said Government is a trust and the officers of the government are
trustees. When those officers repeatedly tell the public what the public can plainly see isnt true the trust is broken.
President Obama and the Democratic leadership cant seem to grasp that connection; maybe Republicans have.
Merrill Matthews is a resident scholar with the Institute for Policy Innovation. Do you trust the government? Wall Street? Big corporations? Dont trust anyone? Click here for Forbes complete package on The Trust Gap.
The United States is experiencing a deficit of public trust in its institutions because it has a deficit of truth from its leaders.
But it was also a result of the Democrats claim that given control and the public trust they would be both honest and fiscally responsible.
While most Americans maintain a little healthy skepticism about governments ability to solve all our problems that skepticism began to escalate during the presidency of George W. Bush. Thats in large part because Republicans who controlled both Houses of Congress until 2006 constantly talked like fiscal conservatives even as they voted like big-spending liberals.
The public soured on that obvious duplicity and put Democrats in charge of Congress in 2006 and the presidency in 2008. That power shift was in large part a result of the voters losing trust in Republicans because their words didnt match their deeds.
Given control and the public trust that they would be both honest and fiscally responsible how have Democrats fared of late?
Well theyve been neither running up massive deficits to finance spending programs that were supposed to jump-start the economy.
When the boom never happened just as countless economists predicted Democrats never owned up to the failure of their policies. Rather they seem to have adopted a strategy of telling Americans: Believe what I tell you not what you see--or what you feel in your own pocketbooks.
As a former philosophy professor I used tell my students about the ways people test for truth. One of those is the correspondence test where claims about someone or something must correspond to what the individual has personally experienced. If those claims dont correspond people are likely to conclude that the claims are false.
The Obama administration repeatedly violates the 
correspondence test.
Last week the administration went on another spin binge trying to convince the public that the stimulus bill is working creating or saving 3.6 million jobs.
While the economy may be slowly turning around Americans dont believe its because of the presidents stimulus package -- and more likely in spite of it. They have looked at the sluggish economy the almost intractable unemployment rate clinging to 9.5 and they know what they see doesnt correspond to the Democrats claims.
For example:
