Donald Trump lies, James Comey lies, Hillary Clinton lies, Kellyanne Conway lies, Chuck Schumer lies, Paul Ryan lies, Nancy Pelosi lies. It is safe to say that most, if not all politicians lie. But there are white lies. There are black lies ... and 50 shades of grey in between. The seriousness of these transgressions depends a lot on their motivation and consequences. James Comey's lie about the possible number of Clinton e-mails on Anthony Weiner's computer had a lot to do with her losing the election. Donald Trump's promise that Mexico will pay for the wall may turn out to be a stretch ... but many American people treat it as hyperbole. These lies are at opposite ends of the mendacity spectrum.
And, of course, the media can point out (repeatedly) some untruths while ignoring others ... which they too frequently do. And the media often lie also ... to me, an unforgivable sin. These indiscretions they see as their sacred duty and protected by the Constitution. Perhaps President Trump lies more than most (just watch Joe and Mika play and replay this theme every morning) ... however he is doing most of the things his voters want him to do. And so they tune out a lot of the media's drumbeat of criticism. And this causes them to increase the tempo and volume.
But Trump has appointed Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, rolled back countless crippling regulations, stopped the flood of illegal migrants, dumped the Paris climate accord, faced head-on the North Korean nuclear threat, refriended Israel, and is struggling mightily to fix healthcare, the tax code and our infrastructure. As a consequence, many Americans (including me) are willing to view Trump's lies to be the lighter shades of grey.
