Most of us grew up with the story of Pinocchio as children and know what happened to Pinocchio when he told lies. His nose was always a visual reminder of what was in his heart. Without out an obvious warning signal such as the one bequeathed to Pinocchio, how do we the people know when we are being lied to? With the nasty bantering back and forth between the candidates as well as the media’s slanted scrutiny of them, this presidential election cycle begs the question, “Does honesty really matter?”

According to William Bennett in his 1993 book, The Book of Virtues, “To be honest is to be real, genuine, authentic, and bona fide. To be dishonest is to be partly feigned, forged, fake, or fictitious. Honesty expresses both self-respect and respect for others. Dishonesty fully respects neither oneself nor others. Honesty imbues lives with openness, reliability, and candor; it expresses a disposition to live in the light. Dishonesty seeks shade, cover, or concealment. It is a disposition to live partly in the dark” (509).

Real. Genuine. Authentic. Bona fide. These are not the words that pop into one’s mind when thinking of the current affairs of our political process here in America. The necessity for truth in politics seems to be waning as each day passes and the lies are becoming more and more grandiose. As a result, we the people are often left shaking our heads - disenfranchised, disillusioned, and disengaged from political involvement of any kind.

Is it really necessary to be honest when running for the number one job in America? As a job that has worldwide visibility as well as a far-reaching social impact, does being honest really matter? It does if you are this author.

Bennett eloquently explains why when he writes, “Every social activity, every human enterprise requiring people to act in concert, is impeded when people aren’t honest with one another” (600). Therefore, without honesty there is no context in which to understand and relate to each other. Honesty is the glue that keeps us bound to each other in this thing we call relationships. Without it, relationships die.

For Hillary Rodham Clinton, the greatest stumbling block she faces in this election cycle is not Barack Obama or even John McCain. It is the daily lengthening of her nose that she is repeatedly tripping over. In recent weeks, we have witnessed Clinton tripping over her ever-growing nose at an alarming rate. The most recent tripping episode was her recent declaration that she came under sniper gunfire while visiting in Bosnia in 12 years ago (Times, 1) That story has been repudiated backwards and forwards and revealed for what it was – a lie. No matter how Clinton wants to spin it or whitewash it, it is a lie. You can’t spin it into truth and you can’t use the “sleep-deprived rationale” to justify it. A lie is a lie…period.

Another recent incident of Clinton’s ever growing Pinocchio-complex is the current status of her unpaid campaign bills. While this may seem like business as usual in politics for the political elite of our country, for most American’s, it is not! We know when you give a company – whether large or small – your word that if the company does this for you, you will in turn compensate them for their services by paying them. When you don’t fulfill your obligation that amounts to a Pinocchio size lie! And that lie will “impede” Americans “acting in concert” to the betterment of America (600).

In speaking with the media about Clinton’s unpaid bill owed his company, Jim Phillips, owner of Show Tyme Exhibits rightly asserts “It was only $607, but I’m a small guy; I could use that. Everyone I can tell, I do tell about it. You tell somebody something bad about somebody, they tell 10 other people” (Politico, 2). And here, Phillips hits on another reason telling the truth is so important, especially for a presidential candidate. When they speak, it is taken for granted that they are being truthful by default of who they are and the position they hold.

If and when Clinton becomes the 44^th President of the United States of America, her words will not only affect - rightly or wrongly - those who live in America, but will also have a powerful impact throughout the entire world. As someone who has a serious Pinocchio complex, the results will be disastrous. Furthermore, what about the many decisions she will be confronted with once she is sitting in the Oval Office? If lying comes so easily to her on the campaign trail, what more can we the people expect from her in the White House? Perhaps even more revealing, do we the people really want to elect a president who has a Pinocchio complex to set the standard of “human intercourse and exchange for us as well as the rest of the world? Ultimately, do we really want to be known as the country with a government full of Pinocchio’s? (600).

Finally, instead of electing a candidate with a Pinocchio complex, I would suggest we hearken the words of Immanuel Kant and Francis Bacon as we decide who is best suited to be the 44^th president of our great country. Kant believed that “Honesty is better than all policy,” while Bacon believed truth was the “sovereign good of human nature” (600).

Dominique Oberling

Additional Source Information: The Book of Virtues. William J. Bennett. Simon & Schuster. 1993. p. 559-600.

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