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Hillarys done her fair share of lying, too
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 Without trust, can there be any real relationship?

If a fellow does not trust his pal-since-childhood to help him home after his car has been stolen from the parking lot outside work, what kind of bond could they honestly have? Should a wife not trust her husband to refrain from unprotected -- not to mention adulterous -- sexual activities while out of town for the weekend, is that truly a marriage?

In politics, such straightforwardness is hard to find. Chalk this up to so few folks having any measure of confidence in their ‘public servants’ to begin with. Irrespective of partisan affiliation, politicians are right down there with loan sharks, gigolos, crack dealers, and investment bankers nowadays; much for the same reason.

Nonetheless, some politicians spread untruths more frequently -- or at least with less skill -- than others.

A recent poll conducted by NBC News and Survey Monkey found that just 11 percent of Americans consider Hillary Clinton to be “honest” and “trustworthy”. Even among supporters, a strong voice cannot raise itself to proclaim her genuine qualities.

What gives?

While filling in for the usual host of MSNBC’s “All Due Respect,” businessman/actor/political activist Donny Deutsch made an interesting choice of words. He said that the heat was on Clinton for her first debate with Donald Trump “because she does not lie. I mean we’ve seen instances where in terms of -- uh -- as far as the emails, she was not forthcoming, and she actually did lie, but on a day-to-day basis, as part of her campaign DNA, it’s not in there.”

I invite anyone who agrees with Deutsch’s DNA analysis to visit PolitiFact, an online Pulitzer-winning organ of The Tampa Bay Times, and view its roster of Clinton lies. Be mindful that only total fabrications are included. Is it even possible to gather all of her half-truths?

As for the emails, well, allow Hillary to explain.

“I did not email any -- um -- classified material to anyone…there is no classified material,” she claimed during a March 2015 press conference.

Fast forward to July 2016.

“110 emails in 52 email chains have been determined by the owning agency to contain classified information at the time they were sent or received,” FBI Director James Comey specified amid a press conference concerning Clinton’s email scandal.

Rewind.

“I provided all my emails that could possibly be work-related,” Clinton declared.

Fast forward.

“Several thousand work-related emails…were not among the group of 30,000 emails returned by Secretary Clinton,” Comey revealed.

Rewind.

“I thought using one device would be simpler,” Clinton told.

Fast forward.

“She also used numerous mobile devices to send and to read email,” Comey stated.

Rewind.

“There were no security breaches,” Clinton asserted.

Fast forward.

“It is possible that hostile actors gained access to Secretary Clinton’s personal email account,” Comey shared.

Rewind.

“It was my practice to communicate with State Department and other government officials on their .gov accounts,” Clinton attested.

Fast forward.

“Hostile actors gained access to the private commercial email accounts of people with whom Secretary Clinton was in regular contact from her personal account,” Comey noted.

Rewind.

“No doubt that we’ve done exactly what we should have done,” Clinton affirmed.

Fast forward.

“They were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly-classified information,” Comey mentioned.

Rewind.

“People will be able to judge for themselves,” Clinton said.

Fast forward.

“We cannot find a case that would support bringing criminal charges on these facts,” Comey told. “This is not to suggest that, in similar circumstances, a person who engaged in this activity would face no consequences.”

Perhaps the most severe consequence for Clinton is that a minuscule number of her desired-to-be constituents trust her. Even under circumstances which paint nearly all politicians as liars and cheats, Hillary has carved a niche for herself as the most scandalous of the scoundrels.

That takes hard work -- and no small amount of it, either.

With this established, are you, as Clinton’s campaign asks, “Ready for Hillary”? I have asked the aforementioned question for the last two weeks, and it absolutely refuses to age.

How sad that is for Clinton, her devotees, and our country.

 

Joseph Cotto is a historical and social journalist, and writes about politics, economics and social issues. Email him at joseph.f.cotto@gmail.com.