A suggestion about lying by Congressional members

[Freeper]

Cleita  Donating Member  (1000+ posts)  Journal  Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Thu Dec-30-10 02:46 PM
Original message
A suggestion about lying by Congressional members
   
Edited on Thu Dec-30-10 02:47 PM by Cleita
made on Thom Hartmann today on his "Brunch With Bernie" (Senator Bernie Sanders) segment. A caller asked the Senator why members of Congress in both Houses couldn't be forced to tell the truth. Bernie said it would be hard to judge whether they told the truth or not. Well I have a suggestion about this. How about making them bound under oath to speak facts and truth to the best of their ability when speaking in the official capacity of their office like on the floor, or in the media, basically "on the record" so to speak or be subject to fines and other censures if caught in a deliberate lie.

Now we can make sure that no fines or censures are imposed unless there is an investigation and a hearing where the Senator or Congressperson can explain to their accusers how they arrived at the statement that they made. I really don't want to make our elected officials afraid to speak out but I also want them to think twice before they deliberately start spreading lies and half truths to get party political talking points into the record and into the media parrot machine. Now let's make the accuser be us, we the people. When any of us hear a blatant lie or lack of truth, we should be able to demand from the Speaker of the House or Senate Majority Leader that they investigate if that rule was broken of lying under oath. I believe there could be a threshold of calls, emails or snail mail that should be reached before it can't be ignored and that action taken by those Congressional leaders.

Something needs to be done. I don't know if this is a solution but would like to know what your opinions are on this matter.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x93760

I like that idea and within 6 months every single democrat and half the republicans will be stimulating the economy by collecting unemployment checks. In fact let's extend that to the white house as well and we can impeach Obama by Feb.

arcane1  Donating Member  (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Thu Dec-30-10 02:51 PM
Response to Original message
2. Ah, if only...
   
Sadly, I expect the repubs would block any such rule from going into effect

The dems would filibuster it.

Cleita  Donating Member  (1000+ posts)  Journal  Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Thu Dec-30-10 05:37 PM
Response to Reply #5
9. This was exactly one of the lies Bernie referred to.
   
He says they have all the facts in front of them. Social Security isn't in crisis and they know it. They are blatantly lying about it.

A bigger lie is health care reform was going to lower our premiums and lower the deficit.

[ColonialMarine0431]

Now we can make sure that no fines or censures are imposed unless there is an investigation and a hearing where the Senator or Congressperson can explain to their accusers how they arrived at the statement that they made.

 

Are you serious? The business of government would come to a complete standstill if every lie by a politician was investigated. 

[USA4ME]

And if it were to happen, it'd give the primitives something new to complain and be misrable about when the "truth" didn't go their way.

.

[Freeper]

And if it were to happen, it'd give the primitives something new to complain and be misrable about when the "truth" didn't go their way.

.

Especially when algore went on trial for all his global warming lies.
 

[true_blood]

Cleita  Donating Member  (1000+ posts)     Thu Dec-30-10 05:37 PM
Response to Reply #5
9. This was exactly one of the lies Bernie referred to. He says they have all the facts in front of them. Social Security isn't in crisis and they know it. They are blatantly lying about it.

Bernie Sanders, what a reliable source of information. Dude always looks so disheveled, it's scary to think he works in Congress. Wow.
Cleita, you're a bright one, huh?

[Chris_]

Didn't they get all ****ed off when Wilson yelled "You Lie" at Obama?

[Carl]

I really don't want to make our elected officials afraid to speak out but I also want them to think twice before they deliberately start spreading lies and half truths to get party political talking points into the record and into the media parrot machine.

Cleita  Donating Member  (1000+ posts)  Journal  Click to send private message to this author  Click to view this author's profile  Click to add this author to your buddy list  Click to add this author to your Ignore list      Thu Dec-30-10 05:37 PM
Response to Reply #5
9. This was exactly one of the lies Bernie referred to.
   
He says they have all the facts in front of them. Social Security isn't in crisis and they know it. They are blatantly lying about it.

Bernie would be in trouble with the new policy then...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-bernie-sanders/the-health-care-crisis-le_b_227822.html

I sent an email to my Senate mailing list requesting support for a single-payer Medicare-for-All system, and for personal stories describing the problems people are having with their health care coverage. Within a few weeks, some 40,000 people signed the single-payer petition and more than 4,000 sent in their personal stories. I want to thank all of those who responded.

I collected some of the letters in a booklet, "The Health Care Crisis: Letters from Vermont and America."

The facts are in front of you,our health care system was never in crisis,you are blatantly lying about it.

How do you feel about your sly attempts to censor free speech now lurking DUmmies? 

[miskie]

Please. The primitive knows damn well that all this will do is stop congress from doing anything, because everything will be investigated that the Obama admin doesn't like.

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

Pass the trillion dollar stimulus package and unemployment would top-out at 8%.

 

I look for to seeing the bill of indictment.

[diesel driver]

Are you serious? The business of government would come to a complete standstill if every lie by a politician was investigated. 

Think about that.   

THAT would be a very good thing!  Those idiots will spend all their time "investigating" each other and would have not time whatsoever to push any agenda.

Remember what Rush says:  "Governmental gridlock = less liberties stolen from the people."

[Traveshamockery]

I have a better idea!  How about someone invent a headset for each member of congress that works like a lie detector?  Make it go off like a siren when dishonesty is detected.  In fact, let's make them surgically implanted for those who serve.  To go one step further, add a little shock feature that shocks the congressperson whenever they lie. 

Wouldn't that be fun to watch?


 

[diesel driver]

I have a better idea!  How about someone invent a headset for each member of congress that works like a lie detector?  Make it go off like a siren when dishonesty is detected.  In fact, let's make them surgically implanted for those who serve.  To go one step further, add a little shock feature that shocks the congressperson whenever they lie. 

Wouldn't that be fun to watch?


 

Turn C-Span into the next ESPN.  Definitely boosts the ratings.

I LIKE IT!

[ExGeeEye]

Are you serious? The business of government would come to a complete standstill if every lie by a politician was investigated. 

You say that like it's a bad thing.   

[Peet]

Turn C-Span into the next ESPN.  Definitely boosts the ratings.

I LIKE IT!

Electrocute
Stupid
Politicians
Network

???

[DumbAss Tanker]

Because, you know, Congress has nothing else to do at all but conduct hearings on its own members whenever some pissed-off hard-ove type (From either end, or on any pet rock issue) says something that 'Can't' be true and therefore 'Must be a lie.'

 

[jukin]

Yep, remember when Nazi Pelosi rang in the 110th congress with "No new deficit spending?" That was 5.2 TRILLION DOLLARS OF DEFICIT AGO.

[true_blood]

Yep, remember when Nazi Pelosi rang in the 110th congress with "No new deficit spending?" That was 5.2 TRILLION DOLLARS OF DEFICIT AGO.

Exacly.
What happened with that, Nazi Pelosi. Just another lie. Think about that. 5.2 trillion dollars ago. That is A TON of money. That's sickening.

[Airwolf]

I have a better idea!  How about someone invent a headset for each member of congress that works like a lie detector?  Make it go off like a siren when dishonesty is detected.  In fact, let's make them surgically implanted for those who serve.  To go one step further, add a little shock feature that shocks the congressperson whenever they lie. 

Wouldn't that be fun to watch?


 

How about instead of a siren how about a taser. The fun of watching half of the Senate falling to the floor would be priceless.

[Chris_]

I have a better idea!  How about someone invent a headset for each member of congress that works like a lie detector?  Make it go off like a siren when dishonesty is detected.  In fact, let's make them surgically implanted for those who serve.  To go one step further, add a little shock feature that shocks the congressperson whenever they lie. 

Wouldn't that be fun to watch?


 

I've seen a similar concept in a movie: Oh yeah, THIS ONE

[Airwolf]

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZesS-EUP6E[/youtube]

This might be more of a motivator

[txradioguy]

How about making them bound under oath to speak facts and truth to the best of their ability when speaking in the official capacity of their office like on the floor, or in the media, basically "on the record" so to speak or be subject to fines and other censures if caught in a deliberate lie.

Because if that ever happened there wouldn't be a single Democrat ever elected to high office again.