When a politician gets an idea, he usually get's it wrong, accordng to one corollary of Murphy's law.
What about when a politician utters a falsehood or outright lie?
Chuck Smith has the answer. It's the new "Three Strikes Law For Politicians." It began with a five-minute video he published on YouTube and sent to the Washington Post. The video no longer exists on YouTube
"I think politicians AND their speechwriters/fact checkers should be held liable when they lie to us, or bend the truth beyond recognition." Smith said. "The personal attacks should stop, too. Attack the problem, not the person."
Smith, apparently fed up with Mitt Romney's proposed $10,000 bet with Texas Gov. Rick Perry, acted quickly and posted a counter challenge video on YouTube.
It stems from the GOP candidates debate in December 2011. Perry twisted a statement from Romney's book about legal mandates. Romney called him out on it and offered to bet $10,000 on the outcome.
The $10,000 bet backfired.
Romney was roundly criticized as out of touch for making a $10,000 bet. Perry said he couldn't afford a $10,000 bet.
Now it's Romney making accusations.
According to the Washington Post Feb. 25 edition, The Fact Checker, Romney claimed that President Obama told Americans that if Congress approved his plan to borrow nearly a trillion dollars, he would hold unemployment below 8 percent.
The Fact Checker refuted that claim more than a year ago. Obama did not make the statement.
Now Smith is challenging Romney to a $10,000 bet if Romney can prove that Obama actually made the statement. There is no word if Romney has accepted the challenge made during Smith's YouTube video. He also mailed the challenge to Romney's campaign headquarters.
He's also thrown down another gauntlet. He proposes a $10,000 voluntary fine for each candidate, speech writer or fact checker who makes a statement later disproven by The Washington Post's The Fact Checker, Factcheck.org, snopes.com, Politico.com or Politifact.com.
By the time the third offense rolls around, a fact checker or speech writer would have been fired.
However, under Smith's proposed rule, there is no limit on those $10,000 fines.
Q: How do you tell if a politician is lying?
A: The politician's lips are moving.
Don't worry I won't get jammed up with a $10,000 lawsuit. The Supreme Court has already ruled that politicians and elected officials can't be libeled.
