Voters want honest candidates, but they’re not surprised when they lie

Fact-checkers had a field day after the latest Republican presidential candidates’ debate. CNN, which hosted the debate, says its team found, among others, false or misleading comments by:

▪ Chris Christie on his support for medical marijuana as New Jersey’s governor;

▪ Donald Trump on Wisconsin losing $2.2 billion with Scott Walker as governor and on whether he lobbied for casinos in Florida;

▪ Ted Cruz on some military facilities being off limits to inspectors under the Iran nuclear agreement; and

▪ Carly Fiorina on a Planned Parenthood video of a “fully formed fetus on the table.”

Do you expect candidates to be 100 percent truthful in debates?

You bet! Not only do I expect them to be 100 percent truthful, they better be! They will be scrutinized nail and tooth and found out how truthful they are!

— George J. Anthony, Fort Worth

The fact that they lied doesn’t surprise me in the least.

What does amaze me is that, when presented with facts that contradict them, they just keep sticking with the lies.

I promise you that when confronted with this “fact-checking,” Cruz, Fiorina, Christie and Trump (especially Trump) will unabashedly keep making the same statements.

Don’t they know that all they have to say is “I misspoke” — political lingo for “I lied”?

And to make it worse, their base will do one of two things: believe their candidate over the fact-checkers or simply say, “It’s no big deal.”

— Frank Matthews, Fort Worth

Where were the fact-checkers when the current president was running and today when Hillary Clinton talks — or doesn’t — regarding her misdeeds? The fact-checkers were really stretching to get something on the GOP candidates.

Most CNN questions were from the perspective of the liberal left and encouraged sparing between candidates.

The first debate was monopolized by “gotcha” questions hitting hard at The Donald. No concerns about our nation’s sovereignty and the assimilation of the onrush of immigrants to come or the nation’s security. Nothing else will matter if these issues are not addressed.

We, the people, want someone who is wise, fearless and doesn’t cower to media and PC dictates.

The strength of a candidate is shown in how he reacts to and handles the debate format — even calling out the improper questions and leading to topics that concern this nation.

— Eva Snapka, Arlington

An old sales axiom reads something like this: “Sell the sizzle, not the steak.”

This is the course politiciansfollow nowadays, but maybe we should change the rules.

Most of us would rather listen to factual information and believe that a candidate should be able to win support without misrepresenting his opponent.

Perhaps broadcast stations should police the non-truths by rejecting the clear-cut deceptions and insisting on accuracy.

It can happen, as it did with John F. Kennedy, the 1960 Democratic nominee, and his Republican opponent, Richard M. Nixon, for which neither distorted his or his opponent’s plans.

Even the attacks by the Ronald Reagan campaign on President Jimmy Carter’s record were also factual and fair. Truth in politics is possible, and we just need to insist that it starts happening once again.

— Patrick Jenkins, Arlington

It has been my experience that lies, misinformation and half-truths are common practice among politicians who are trying to get elected.

They think it’s OK because they label such lies as “campaign rhetoric.” But “a rose by any other name is still a rose.”

Personally, I don’t see how voters can be so gullible as to believe everything they see and hear coming from these unscrupulous politicians.

If they vote for such people, how can they trust them once they’re in office?

That’s what’s wrong with Congress today — too many unscrupulous people in office.

A corporate CEO once bragged, “It makes economic sense to donate a million dollars to a politician when we will get a billion dollars of government money in return!”

And that’s the way it is, folks.

— Edward Lindsay, Fort Worth

It would be great if candidates were 100 percent truthful in the debates, but we all know that that will not happen in the real world.

Many times a lie may be a lie, or it may be because they did not have all of the facts, or were supplied misleading information.

Another possibility is that the candidates are just getting prepared to be elected, when telling the truth is not a high priority.

This is evident in the Benghazi cover-up, the lies about storage and transmittal of classified information, the lies about the Iran nuclear weapons deal and the lies propagated about Obamacare and your doctors, insurance coverage and rates.

— Walter H. Delashmit, Justin

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Voters want honest candidates, but they’re not surprised when they lie."