Yesterday, Bernie Sanders put out a series of tweets:
Amber Phillips at the Washington Post decided he had crossed some sort of line:
This is the state of our political discourse right now. Political norms — like, don't accuse the president of the United States of lying without evidence, or don't accuse the former president of the United States of wiretapping your phones without evidence — have been eviscerated. There are no rules right now in politics about what you can/can't or should/shouldn't say.
The reporter did not address the substance or accuracy of Bernie’s tweets, comparing them to Joe Wilson shouting “You Lie” during Obama’s SoU speech.
Well, Bernie isn't backing down, calling this question, what to do about a president who lies shamelessly, a “serious political problem” he writes:
What should a United States senator, or any citizen, do if the president is a liar? Does ignoring this reality benefit the American people? Do we make a bad situation worse by disrespecting the president of the United States? Or do we have an obligation to say that he is a liar to protect America’s standing in the world and people’s trust in our institutions?
I happen to strongly believe in civil political discourse. The vast majority of people in Congress who hold views different than mine are not liars. It is critical we have strong, fact-based debates on the important issues facing our country and that we respect people who come to different conclusions. In a democracy people will always have honestly held different points of view.
But how do we deal with a president who makes statements that reverberate around our country and the world that are not based on fact or evidence? What is the appropriate way to respond to that? And if the media and political leaders fail to call lies what they are, are they then guilty of misleading the public?