Lying By Omission – The Latest Obama Campaign Tool

Lying By Omission – The Latest Obama Campaign Tool

There are many kinds of lies- barefaced, minimization, white lies, contextual lies, and economy with the truth lies. Lying by omission is only one of over twenty-five kinds of lies; yet it ranks among the most deadly and nefarious of them all.

It is a matter of emphasis that far exceeds the “glass is half-full” analogy but is more like sleight of hand, magic, or prestidigitation. It is a call to look at what I am holding in this hand so you won’t see what I am doing with the other. When utilized in political campaigning, it is always a desperate attempt to divert attention away from a dismal record or performance.

Lies of omission are particularly offensive because they rely on the assumed ignorance of those who hear them. They are an insult to the intelligence and intuitiveness of most people because they depend on the hearer’s ignorance or distraction to have any effect at all. Telling lies of omission requires a great sense of timing as well. Politicians use the last days of a campaign to blast the lies across the campaign trail and hope that there is not enough time for the sycophants to research or uncover what Paul Harvey used to call ‘the rest of the story.’