Political Spin

In the last 4 years or so I've received a crash course in the reality of politics. One facet of the political realm that is a source of continual amazement is how virtually anything can be "spun". Whether it is taking a fact and exaggerating it or even turning it upside-down, or answering a different question than is asked, or ignoring key facts and sticking to their own points, or using words that are ambiguous (two or more possible clear meanings) or vague (one unclear meaning), or skipping around the answer without ever giving it, or speaking in superficial, politically-correct (i.e. safe, Media-acceptable) sound bites, or using ad hominem attacks and gross labeling, or straw dog arguments, or taking credit for things or not depending on political expediency (whether or not there was a causal connection), or... the possibilities are endless.

Of course, political spin often is a result of an antagonistic reporter framing a question to pigeon-hole the politician into an answer the reporter wants to hear to create or support their story. Or, political spin is used by the reporters themselves in their stories (which often reveals their obvious bias). Thus, it becomes the politician's job to parry. With centuries of time-honored politicians building this tradition, it has become an art form. It is often difficult to recognize the truth-tellers and plain speakers, because the good political spinners sound so sincere. The good news is that there actually are many good, honest politicians. It is the voter's job to discern good from bad. In the world of political spin this is a God-sized task!