A financial journalist once offered simple advice: “Lie to people who want to be lied to, and you’ll get rich…Tell the truth to those who want to be lied to, and you’ll go broke.”
That axiom appears to have been taken to heart by radical Democratic candidates who this week issued transparent denials of past outrageous comments. Their calculus is clearly that the last thing that voters want to hear is the truth about their past views.
Certain cultural touchstones are considered inviolate in some states, such as beef in Texas.
In 2022, Talarico said he was reducing his meat consumption as part of climate-related efforts. Texas Democratic Senatorial candidate James Talarico was roasted after a video surfaced of his calling to reduce meat consumption and “I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign. We are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.”
The backlash was so great that Talarico has been eating whole cows to prove that he is not all-hat and no cattle.
Obviously, lying about your positions is hardly a phenomenon confirmed to the far left. Many Republican candidates have also made painfully transparent pivots. However, the spins this week threaten to knock the planet off its axis.
In Wisconsin, Democratic Socialist Francesca Hong seems to be coasting to a primary win despite radical views such as defunding police. In an episode of “Pod Save America,” Hong was asked about her 2020 statements declaring “police exist to uphold white supremacy” and “I support defunding the police as a first step towards abolishing the police.”
Hong responded with a convoluted spin: “My views have only become stronger in that I’m serious about public safety and I will not abolish the police.”
Hong’s views on Thanksgiving took the axiom to a whole new level. Hong previously stated:
“Cancel Thanksgiving. Should have done this in 1621. If it takes a worldwide pandemic for us to realize we should stop celebrating colonialism and the original superspreader event that killed Indigenous folx and women so be it.”
That did not go over well in Wisconsin, only slightly better than coming out against cheese.
Hong did not deny her 2021 statement for weeks, including when confronted on CNN by host Kaitlan Collins. Asked directly if she still hated Thanksgiving, Hong offered her now much-ridiculed “I’m a chef” response, stating that, as a chef, she works to “bring more people to the table.”
Hong seemed to morph into Chauncey Gardner from Being There in offering non-sequiturs of being a “very serious gardener.”
When that interview fell flat, Hong decided to lie and claim that she was just joking in 2021 and “loves” Thanksgiving, her now “favorite holiday.” No one reading her quote or her later interviews would believe that it was a joke. It was not a joke for weeks until her responses became a joke.
Abdul El-Sayed skipped the transitional period and went straight to the lie in his controversy this week when a video surfaced of his saying how he hates the iconic Mackinac Island. Growing up in Chicago, one of my favorite things was to go with my family to the island, which is the quintessential small American town. I actually have never met anyone who hated Mackinac Island…until now. (Some sites are quoting El-Sayed as allegedly saying “I don’t think the most American place in Michigan is a place that…bans cars.”).
In the video, El-Sayed states “I hate Mackinac so much. It’s funny cause, like, if we win, this is gonna be, like, the summer home. Every time I’ve ever come here I’ve hated it.”
El-Sayed was clearly informed that declaring that you despise the most popular tourist location in Michigan is not a vote getter. So, El-Sayed simply told his supporters what they wanted to hear: you cannot believe your lying eyes and ears.
His campaign issued a bizarre statement that sought to convert his controversial comments into his opposition to the elite and privileged class, saying that he was actually referring to the Mackinac Policy Conference which is simply an annual nonpartisan forum for public policy discussions.
El-Sayed claims that he was referring to the conference as being like a summer home for governors. He maintains that he was referring to a conference as the entire island.
El-Sayed knows that it does not matter. He could have claimed that he was referring to hating Mackinac Island Pizza Company. It does not matter. His supporters do not want the baggage and he simply needed to unload it.
With the election in November, the next predictable step will be for Hong to join El-Sayed on Mackinac Island for a public Thanksgiving dinner. Talarico will be on hand to carve the bird with enthusiasm.
The real problem is that these individuals spent years throwing red meat (or, in the case of Talarico, tofu) to the far left. These statements were not considered extreme or controversial until they found themselves speaking to a wider audience. Then they sounded just crazy.
Moreover, some lies are unlikely to register with voters who may prefer to live in delusion. The fact that the Mamdani markets will ultimately sell the most expensive produce in New York is an inconvenient fact that is best ignored.
The model for far-left politicians appears to be Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger who ran as a moderate and then governed from the far left. Spanberger, for example, pledged not to gerrymander districts to eliminate all Republican districts and then immediately moved to do so. Many voters likely did not believe her on gerrymandering, taxes, or other broken pledges before the election. They just needed her to say it. So, you might have to visit Mackinac or feign enjoyment at Thanksgiving or barbeques for a few weeks. Then you can do a Spanberger.
Abraham Lincoln may have said “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” However, the fact is that you do not have to fool all of the people all of the time, just enough to win over the course of a few weeks.
Jonathan Turley is a law professor and the New York Times best-selling author of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.”
I believe the saying is–> “When the person tells you what they say the first time, Believe it!” Don’t believe the backtracking!
JT ever the jokester.
You have go to be kidding me.
Lies?
trump says he has the highest approval ratings of any president ever.
trump says the Iran war is almost over, 38 times he said that, the war is because of nuclear weapons, regime change, opening the Straight of Hormuz. Which is it? Next he’ll say it is because he wants all Iranian pistachio trees killed.
trump promises to release the Epstein files
trump is going to lower prices
trump is going to end the Russia-Ukraine war on day 1
inflation is the highest it has ever been in our country under Joe Biden.
JT, are you a lier?
No he is not a liar. His point is that these candidates say retract what they say to get elected. Whether true or not Trump stands by what he says.
the leadership vacuum in the democrat party has resulted in a takeover by radicals just in time to lose to the republicans.
Dumbocrats keep funneling their voters into more and more radical ideas, losing sensible voters in the process.
Years ago someone writing for Mad magazine adapted Lincoln’s quote to political reality: “You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time and that should be sufficient for most purposes.”
The only thing that some Progressives are economical with is the truth. They seem to regard it as a precious commodity to be used sparingly and only if failing to do so could result in a loss of power. But we live in post-truth times when truth is a fluid concept that is in service to the individual and his/her needs and circumstances. A talented liar has an advantage in life generally, and politics especially.
Waiting 26 years ‘for this shoe to drop’: Musk’s AI company joins the fight to strip citizens of their power to sue
Right-leaning legal activists along with Elon Musk ’s artificial intelligence company have brought sweeping challenges against a cornerstone of legal enforcement in the United States: the right of private groups, people and local governments to sue over violations of many major laws.
By: Michael Phillis – The Associated Press ~ August 8, 2026
fortune.com/2026/08/08/lazarus-26-years-citizen-suits-musk-xai
Thank you for the citation. I remember learning about “citizen suits” in law school. I asked the professor how a citizen suit squared with the traditional concept of standing. She twisted herself into a pretzel, couldn’t really explain it, then just said, “the legislature provided standing.” So, my next question was prosecutorial discretion by the government; could the legislature strip the executive of this legal discretion? This time she just ignored me and said it doesn’t matter and we just have to accept this reality.
For my entire life NGOs and special interest groups have utilized these laws to prevent anything and everything. Utilizing a dubious legal concept.
I look forward to this making it to the Supremes and this odious theory being corrected in the legal realm.
“… Growing up in Chicago, one of my favorite things was to go with my family to the island, which is the quintessential small American town. …” -JT
Way Way Way back in the day as a Scout our Troop was stationed in the Scout Barracks for two weeks – The best part was we had free access the Grand Hotel swimming pool (it had a High-Dive) and the whole Island to explore.
The Michigan Governor’s Summer Residence on Mackinac Island is a historic three-story bluff-top home overlooking the Straits of Mackinac. Built in 1902 and bought by the state in 1944 for $15,000, it serves as the official warm-weather getaway and official hosting site for Michigan’s governors.
History and Architecture
• Built originally as a private summer cottage for Chicago attorney Lawrence Andrew Young.
• Designed using Michigan white pine for the exterior and Georgia yellow pine inside.
• Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.Features 11 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms.
Visiting the Property
• Located at the junction of Fort Hill and Huron roads.
• Generally closed to the general public, except for limited public walk-through tours on Wednesday mornings during the peak summer season.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_Governor%27s_Summer_Residence
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The historic Scout Barracks at Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, Michigan, houses the Governor’s Honor Guard. Established in 1929 with a group that included future U.S. President Gerald Ford, this selective program brings Michigan Boy and Girl Scouts to serve as the official island guides and service corps.
History of the Scout Barracks
1929 Program Start: Began as an exclusive honor for Eagle Scouts.
1934 Construction: The dedicated Scout Barracks was built behind the fort’s rear parade ground by a Civilian Conservation Corps unit of WWI veterans.
1975 Expansion: Expanded to include Girl Scouts following support from Michigan First Lady Helen Milliken.
Daily Duties and Operations
Flag Ceremonies: Raising and lowering dozens of official flags across the island.
Tour Guiding: Providing historical information and assistance to park visitors.
Service Projects: Completing daily maintenance, cleaning, and conservation tasks for Mackinac Island State Park.
Scout Barracks | Parade Ground
Registered Michigan Historic Site
hmdb.org/m.asp?m=107087
Exploring Michigan | Mackinac Island Scout Service Program returns as tourism season begins
You can thank “Crazy Abe” Lincoln—the author and finisher—for the destruction of American freedom and America.
The American Founders would NEVER have admitted Abdul El-Sayed, Obongo, World War Eleven Omar et al. or their allies to become citizens.
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Naturalization Acts of 1790, 1795, 1798, 1802 (four iterations for maximal clarity)
United States Congress, “An act to establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization,” March 26, 1790
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof….
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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,…secure the Blessings of Liberty TO OURSELVES and OUR POSTERITY….
– Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
Lincoln obsessed ANON posts this CRAP daily!! Get a life!!!
George,
Thanks to Abraham Lincoln,
we don’t have to worry about vampires sucking our blood anymore.
Yeah, now it’s just government!