Lying all the time? Never cares about doing the right thing? I think that pretty well describes Hillary to a T. I think this the basis for her entire public (*cough* self) service career.
But still. Why does she lie so much? When the straight truth would have cleared the air so much faster? What more is she hiding?
Yeah, it does seem that you and I will never change the other's mind. But I will not accuse someone of lying unless I see proof that person's lying.
Does she lie more than Bush did? I don't think so.
Obama? He seems to have been pretty truthful, as far as presidents go (but he told a few of his own).
Bill Clinton? "I did not have sex with that woman." But if I had all the world's cameras taping me as I testified before Congress about whether I got a BJ, I'd lie my ass off too. There's an old French saying, "He who refuses to lie, does not love his wife." It wasn't meant for Bill's particular situation, but I'd say it applies there too anyway.
Bush 41? You know I earnestly hold him in high regard - he probably told a few, but I don't know what they were.
Reagan? "Welfare queen" - need I say more?
Carter? Seems to have been fairly truthful - but as we can see, truthfulness does not guarantee a good presidency.
Ford? I think he was a good and courageous individual - I've got nothing bad to say about him.
Nixon? Lied through his teeth. Committed what is by definition treason with his pre-election deals with the Vietnamese. Lied his ass off about Vietnam. And then there was Watergate But if he'd not done those things, he'd be seen as a very good president - opened up China, took us off the gold standard for the last time (after France had tried to manipulate our currency IIRC), and instituted the EPA. I specifically remember that it was during his presidency that our nation started to clean up and not leave so much trash along the sides of the road and in our public areas - and I give the credit to the public awareness campaign that I still remember today. If I thought Trump were half so courageous and gave half so much of a damn about the American people, I'd vote for him because of Nixon...but Trump's not a Nixon. To me, Nixon's one of the great tragic stories of our presidents - he really could have been one of the greats, but his own too-human failings ended his presidency too early, and forever ruined his reputation.
LBJ? Another who wasn't so truthful - let Nixon get away with treason even though he knew what Nixon did (!). Would have been considered great if not for Vietnam. Try getting today's seniors to let go of their Medicare - ain't gonna happen.
Kennedy? A womanizer like Clinton, but with a great deal more courage. An honest-to-goodness war hero.
Eisenhower? One of my personal favorites - and, interestingly enough, one of the most honest as far as I can tell.
For Truman and all the ones that came before, I don't have enough data to know their level of honesty.
But the point is, while we don't like people who lie, the fact that one lies doesn't mean that one would be a bad president. But one who lies so obviously, so disingenuously as Trump does...he couldn't hold a candle to any of the above, even Bush 43. Heck, concerning Dubya, as much of an epic disaster as his first term was, towards the end, he actually began standing up (and ignoring) Dick Cheney, and took the crucial first steps to keep the economy from completely melting down before the end of his second term. Bush 43 was not personally a bad guy...but I think he saw towards the end how he'd been used and abused by the Far Right for their own ends. And that's why he (and his dad) are not supporting the current GOP nominee one whit.
I guess what I'm getting to is that I do try to be objective about politicians in general and presidents in particular. Not a one of them was all bad, and none of them were all good; and that utter honesty was not a guarantee of a good or bad presidency. BUT each of them showed a level of character that I strongly, strongly doubt that a demagogue like Trump could ever hope to show. The guy has real issues...and I dare not trust him with the nuclear button. I live within two miles of a primary target of a nuclear strike - I can see the Navy's largest and most capable shipyard on the West Coast from where I live. If he were to pull the trigger, I and my family would die, and horribly so. I can't afford to trust the guy.
