Hypocrisy in Politics

           

One of the more discouraging aspects of politics is the unapologetic hypocrisy displayed by politicians and political parties. The examples are numerous and neither party has a monopoly on hypocrisy. Whenever one party is in power, it seems to excel in hypocrisy partly because the members actually have to govern and not just pontificate.

A recent article in USA Today points out the hypocritical statements from politicians representing poor states like Alabama and Kentucky about reducing spending when their states are totally dependent on federal funds. Here is the last paragraph from: Time to Unload Kentucky, Steven Straus, USA Today, June 7, 2017.

“One major reason for the U.S. government's dysfunction is the GOP's hypocritical grandstanding about wanting smaller government and running America like a business when, in fact, it [GOP] needs big federal government programs such as the military, Medicaid, food stamps and farm subsidies to keep many of its supporters afloat. If Republicans really believe in the snake oil they've been selling, it's time to show it. If not, it's well past time for them to stop their empty ranting. As Shakespeare would have said, it increasingly sounds like a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

I would note that the same could be said of Democrats during the Clinton era.