But what about opinions? If a weather man predicts a bright sunny day, and it rains all day instead, is he a liar? Not if he gave his honest opinion based on the best meteorological available to him. But what if all the meteorological data indicates a day of heavy rain, and our weatherman nevertheless, with no meteorological basis, predicts a clear, sunny day? Is he a liar?
When I was a boy, my mother played golf at Tam O’Shanter Country Club in Niles, Illinois during the hey-day of the club. I can say, without lying, that on one occasion, mom was the women’s club champion. I was there when she finished. And I still have her trophy showing she was club champ, and the small plaque that for one year graced her locker in the women’s locker room. My recollection is that mom won the championship twice, but I have no evidence that she did. I therefore cannot honestly say she was two-time club champ.
I can recall as a boy asking mom what was the lowest handicap she ever carried. She replied, “Six.” I was a bit surprised, because par was 72, and I did not recall her shooting in the 70s. But handicaps fluctuated, and I knew she generally played around 80-82. And I also knew that my mother never lied. In fact, the rule among her many friends was, “If you don’t want Marge’s honest opinion, don’t ask for it!”
Which brings us to last Thursday’s Presidential Debate.
As a judge, in assessing the credibility of witnesses, I always took account of two “cautions:” (1) A man who lies about little, insignificant things, is also apt to lie about important things, when the lie will benefit him; (2) A man careless enough to lie about a fact which can easily be disproved, will probably lie whenever he believes it is to his advantage.
A number of seemingly unimportant statements were made at the very end of the debate:
(1) Biden averred he had “his handicap down to a 6 while VP:”I can recall as a boy asking mom what was the lowest handicap she ever carried. She replied, “Six.” I was a bit surprised, because par was 72, and I did not recall her shooting in the 70s. But handicaps fluctuated, and I knew she generally played around 80-82. And I also knew that my mother never lied. In fact, the rule among her many friends was, “If you don’t want Marge’s honest opinion, don’t ask for it!”
Which brings us to last Thursday’s Presidential Debate.
As a judge, in assessing the credibility of witnesses, I always took account of two “cautions:” (1) A man who lies about little, insignificant things, is also apt to lie about important things, when the lie will benefit him; (2) A man careless enough to lie about a fact which can easily be disproved, will probably lie whenever he believes it is to his advantage.
A number of seemingly unimportant statements were made at the very end of the debate:
(2) Trump to averred he “hit the ball 280 years:”
(3) Trump averred he “just won two club championships — not even senior events;”
(4) Biden implied he could carry his bag of golf clubs during the round of golf, and Trump couldn’t.
All four of these claims are subject to being easily proved or disproved. The voters are entitled to see if one or both of these guys were lying — stating as fact things they knew to be untrue.
I suggest they take a day off and play a televised round of golf at Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island. They could each carry a “Sunday Bag” (2 woods, a putter and five irons). This would not be impossible. I know an 84-year man who does just that 5 days a week.
If Trump is indeed a club champion-type who hits the ball 280 from the tee, he can show his prowess. If Biden indeed is a 6, or even a 10 handicap, he can prove it. Whether either has the stamina to be President, will be quickly shown as they trudge up and down Saukie’s ravines. And just in case the ravines prove to be too much for either man, the political parties could pay for paramedics and ambulances to stand by. And perhaps, the candidates could have a side bet: the loser drops out of the Presidential race.
It is time for these two guys to “put up, or shut up.”
Now a few thoughts about other “statements” made at the debate:
1. President Biden’s stated that he was "the only President this century" and "this decade" that did not have any troops "dying anywhere in the world." Were not 13 killed during the Afghan pullout? 3 more in Iran? Was that knowingly-made false statement of fact? A mere opinion? A mere lapse of memory?
2. President Trump’s claim that before Covid we had “the greatest economy that we've had in our history, the best.” False statement of fact made knowingly? Trump’s opinion? Obvious political puffing?
3. President Biden claimed that “The U.S. economy added 15 million jobs between the time U.S. President Joe Biden took office and May 2024.”
As per Snopes: “As the U.S. economy kept on recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, it had gained 15.6 million jobs as of May 2024. However, about 9 million of those jobs were lost during the pandemic, so the net jobs gain from pre-pandemic levels was 6.2 million.”
Was Biden expressing a mere opinion? If he was making a statement of fact, was it a material misstatement of fact to take credit for 15 million jobs, when only 6.2 were new jobs? A lie? Would an honest man have stated the case the way Snopes did?
4. Trump’s statement that the Ukraine War and the War in Gaza would have never happened had he been President. Statements of fact? Or self-serving opinion? Unprovable either way?
My point is this: politicians who knowingly lie are scoundrels unworthy of election. Politicians who merely give opinions are the norm. But are politicians who state “opinions” without factual underpinnings, in the face of clear, contrary underlying facts, tantamount to liars?
First Published in the Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus on July 3, 2024.
Copyright 2024, John Donald O'Shea
Copyright 2024, John Donald O'Shea
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