Not only does that mock horror portray our politicians as guardians of truth, which they aren't, but it suggests that exorcising one bad apple will restore our republic to some former state of virtue. Lying has been our political way of life for generations. A war-weary nation bought the illusion that the Korean conflict wasn't really a war. Our leaders lied about Vietnam and used artificial body-counts to manage perceptions. To promote the interests of American corporations, our leaders have supported dictators and overstated communist threats.
Politicians routinely lie about political contributions and the quid pro quo given big donors.
No one believes what politicians say on the stump. We barely listen. Elections are about carefully crafted messages, not forthright responses to real issues. The lying-game is so pervasive that much of campaign reporting focuses on how the lies are playing in Peoria. Some observers worry that a president caught in deceit won't have credibility overseas.