It is a bad idea to lie in a presidential campaign

At least that is the case in the United States. Here is a powerful video showing why it is a bad idea to lie to prospective voters in an effort to discredit a rival.

(Source: Larry Lessig’s blog)

Unfortunately lying to voters isn’t unusual in South Africa. The main thing here is to tell the voters what they want to hear, regardless of whether you follow through on your promises. There is little risk of enough voters finding out about your lies and actually holding you accountable so it is all about appearances here.

It reminds me about that joke with a dozen versions: How do you know when a politician is lying? His lips are moving. Very sad.

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