How do we keep candidates from lying over and over?

[Playinghardball]

Why doesn't the fact-checking come first?

After a presidential debate, even before the debate has ended, we're able now to read fact-checks from Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact and many news organizations.

But shouldn't the candidates get their facts straight and tell the truth in the first place?

"American politics has become a battle of talking points," said Bill Adair, editor of PolitiFact and Washington bureau chief for The Tampa Bay Times. "Once candidates find a talking point they like, they often stick with it — even when fact-checkers say it's wrong."

Perhaps the first questions in the next presidential debate should be something along these lines...

More: http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/30/10246616-how-do-we-keep-candidates-from-lying-over-and-over

[barbtries]

1. every debate should begin

by grilling the candidates about the lies they told in the last debate. as if that would happen.

[zoechen]

4. Nice Idea

That should be one of the jobs of the moderator of the debate and it should be the first half hour (at minimum) of the debate itself.

Like I said nice idea.

[TheWraith]

6. It would be nice to have live fact-checking during a debate.

Also something that'll never happen.

[hobbit709]

2. hook them up to a lie detector.

with the results displayed on a large screen over their heads.

[FrodosPet]

3. How DO we keep candidates from lying over and over?

Sew their mouths shut?

[barbtries]

5. that's the best idea yet.

but then they'd all turn into mute little glenn becks lying on a chalkboard.

[eShirl]

7. wire their jaws

[edhopper]

8. Sometime during the Reagan regime

The Press stopped being a reporter of truth, and became a reporter of what people say. giving "both sides" was all that mattered. Even if one side was blatently false.
This will not change as the media becomes completely corporate controlled.

[trumad]

9. Quote from a guy with PolitiFact...

Now that's rich.

[saras]

10. We know perfectly well how, but we're unwilling to do it.

When we - the majority of us - are willing to drive a politician out of office, out of business, and onto the street, homeless, for lying - AND we refuse to tolerate any less of our neighbors - then we can have politicians who don't lie. It's not hard - just DON'T REWARD THEM FOR IT. EVER. IN ANY WAY WHATSOEVER.

It's the same way you train a kid not to whine, or a dog not to bite. First you solve the problems that create the motivations, and then you do not EVER reward the inappropriate behavior.

[chowder66]

11. Yes. That is what the media and moderators should be doing.

I agree that politifact has lost legitimacy but if they are fact checked and turn out to be right they they should be sourced. Maybe over time they will gain back a reputation for being a pulitzer prize winning fact checking entity if they leave out their projections and opinions.

[RC]

12. How do we keep candidates from lying over and over? Simple.

Stop voting for them. Then they would stop being candidates over and over again.