By Bob Ray Sanders
bobray@star-telegram.com
When I was growing up many moons ago, we youngsters were never allowed to use profanity whether in the presence of grownups or not.
The only time we could say "hell" or "damn" was in references to Bible quotations, and we couldn't even say the word "lie" except when meaning to repose.
To indicate that a person was not telling the truth, kids would use euphemisms like "fib" or, most often in my surroundings, "telling a story."
For example, if another child accused you of something you didn't do, your response would be something like, "That's not true. You know that's a story."
And if it were a real whopper of a prevarication, you'd be sure to add, "That's a
big ol' story."
While watching the Republican National Convention last month, especially during the much-acclaimed speech by vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, I thought to myself several times: You know that's a big ol' story.
The following weekend a FOX 4 News anchor asked if I thought Democrats at their convention in Charlotte, N.C., would answer directly charges leveled by Republicans in Tampa, Fla.
I said, "Of course, they will. They have to correct the distortions" -- still trying hard not to call anyone an outright liar about the facts.
At the time I made that statement, I had no idea that former President Bill Clinton would do such a masterful job of answering the Republican charges during his Wednesday night speech that it seemed like a lawyer taking his case to the jury and clearly pointing out the lies.
Rising for the defense on cross-examination, Clinton used a folksy courtroom demeanor (a la
Matlock) to meticulously dismantle the GOP's case against his client, the sitting president of the United States.
He went step by step, sometimes pausing to repeat himself to make sure jurors were following his logic, to refute the accusers' claims on the deficit, employment, healthcare reform, Medicare and a laundry list of other accusations that had been hurled from the convention stage in Tampa.
His "job score" for the 52 years since 1961 was masterful.
In that period, Clinton said, "the Republicans have held the White House 28 years and the Democrats 24. In those 52 years, our private economy has produced 66 million private-sector jobs. So what's the job score? Republicans: 24 million. Democrats: 42."
In a way, the entire Democratic convention had been arranged like a legal case, introducing an array of witnesses with bits of evidence, new exhibits and character assessments of the defendant. The chief character witness, of course, was first lady Michelle Obama, who gave emotional insight into the heart of the man she fell in love with before the country got to know him.
Then came chief counsel Clinton, loaded for bear -- and defying the time limits for oral arguments -- who was able to say things that only he could. The former president actually used the word hate in talking about how many Republicans feel about the president.
Speaking of Obama's handling of the economy Clinton emphatically noted, "No president, no president -- not me, not any of my predecessors -- no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years."
On the final night of the convention the president took the stand to testify in his own defense, reminding Americans that although change is hard, they must continue to believe, hang on to the hope and keep the faith.
The verdict is still a couple of months off, and before then Republicans will have their chance on re-direct during the presidential debates and on the campaign trail.
It has been said by others that the contrast in the two tickets this year hasn't been this great for decades. I say the differences in the candidates, their philosophies and how they want to lead the country haven't been this stark since Johnson versus Goldwater in 1964.
It is now up to the American people to deliberate carefully before rendering a final judgment Nov. 6.
Bob Ray Sanders' column appears Sundays andWednesdays.817-390-7775Twitter: @BobRaySanders
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