Interesting blog from Psychology today and lying by leaders.

Just FYI I posted this in GD P because the honesty factor is a big brick in the middle of the room during this primary. Enough so that in debates moderators ask about it.

These two paragraphs really hit home to me. Disclaimer: this is a blog posted in 2012, but I feel it's still pretty spot on. Emphasis is mine.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201209/why-being-lied-hurts-us-so-much

Begin Quote "The LMX model readily fits the relations between voters and their political leaders. Politicians may be temporarily forced to lie to protect, for example, national security. They may not be able to reveal everything until a crisis recedes, at which point the voters expect to hear the truth. However, if politicians lie because they’re trying to protect their own interests, or special interest groups, the average voter (who doesn’t benefit from this) feels betrayed. The LMX model predicts that in any organization, some people have greater access to the leaders than do others. The members who don’t are most likely to feel turned off and mistrustful. In order to avoid alienating them, leaders must take special care to be as fair, honest, and ethical as possible.

The moral of the story, if I may use that term, is that when people in positions of power lie, you not only become disaffected with them, but you become disaffected with the institutions they represent. Each time this happens, your identity and well-being takes a new hit. Identification with our jobs and our government are crucial to our self-concepts. As we lose faith in them, we lose faith in ourselves." End Quote

THIS is why honesty and trustworthiness is such a huge factor. IMHO I also feel this is one reason we have low voter turnouts on a national basis in elections. According to Pew Research "U.S. turnout in 2012 was 53.6%, based on 129.1 million votes cast for president and an estimated voting-age population of just under 241 million people."

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/05/06/u-s-voter-turnout-trails-most-developed-countries/