by Lawrence Kadish
A politician's true political beliefs are often hidden beneath the rhetoric of a campaign. Speech is tailored to what the crowd wants to hear rather than what the candidate truly believes.
 A politician's true political beliefs are often hidden beneath the rhetoric of a campaign. Speech is tailored to what the crowd wants to hear rather than what the candidate truly believes. (Image source: iStock) |
Ever look at a sausage package?
How about baby formula?
A candy bar? Yogurt? Cereal?
Virtually everything you consume is obligated to have an ingredients label on it that tells you what's inside. After all, you are putting it in your body. Accordingly, long ago, Washington rightfully decreed that food processors had to truthfully and factually label their products' ingredients.
This requirement by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, does not extend to politics.
A politician's true political beliefs are often hidden beneath the rhetoric of a campaign. Speech is tailored to what the crowd wants to hear rather than what the candidate truly believes. Sadly, the truth that we demand from the food on our dining room table is absent in Washington and our nation's democracy suffers as a result.
While the full truth may still be obscured, we can get closer to the reality by closely examining a politician's credentials, affiliations, and the source of campaign donations. It is these "ingredients" that accurately reflect who we are being asked to vote for. Through diligent online searches, cross checking with reliable and verified sources, and researching official filings there is the opportunity for a more complete disclosure.
But there are still actions whose genuine motives are shrouded. Take, for example, our nation's current diplomatic engagement with Saudi Arabia. Is the president's upcoming visit meant to improve America's security and role in the Middle East, or is it a ploy for cheap energy at a time when gas on Main Street is more than $5 a gallon. Are efforts to cut a nuclear deal with Iran intended to slow the pace of the regime's access to atomic weapons, or are they a strategy to suggest White House leadership at a time of dismal poll ratings?
Unfortunately the "wrapping" on this "sausage" does not exist. For that reason, we should do what we always do when food is suspect. Smell it to see if it is rotten.
Lawrence Kadish serves on the Board of Governors of Gatestone Institute.
Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/18598/politicians-beliefs
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