Spinning? Fine. Spinning AND Lying? Not Cool.

Spin, as we usually refer to it, is trying to take facts and present them in a way that is good for one or another candidate. We see this most often when it comes to setting expectations. Candidates try to spin things to set expectations in a given election one way, so that when they meet or break expectations the media writes positive stories about said candidate having "momentum."

Lying, by contrast, is either saying things contrary to the facts, or pretending the facts just don't exist. We saw this most often in the Bush administration's lead-up to the Iraq war, and more recently, in Hillary Clinton pretending that she never supported NAFTA, when, in fact, a decade of public speeches shows she did. Now, Clinton is doing something fairly new: spinning AND lying -- all at the same time.

Here's what ABC News reports that Clinton is now saying:

"We came from so far behind in Indiana. We're still the underdog."

Clinton is trying to set expectations in advance of Tuesday's Indiana primary, with the goal of making it seem as if a victory in Indiana would be "unexpected" and proof that she has "momentum." The spinning part -- the expectations part -- is fine, and no surprise. That's what candidates do, and that's part of politics. What's not fine is the dishonest basis of the storyline. Clinton has been ahead in Indiana from the beginning -- and in, fact, has been ahead in the majority of Democratic primary polls done in the Hoosier state.

As Real Clear Politics shows, Clinton has been ahead or tied with Barack Obama in 12 out of 18 Indiana primary polls. In fact, she's never been behind by more than 5 points -- basically the margin of error in these polls. Put another way, Clinton has been either ahead or right on the cusp of the margin of error in 100% of the polling done in Indiana.

This isn't surprising. Indiana is squarely within the Race Chasm (ie. the group of states whose black populations are above 6% and below 17% of the total population). Clinton has won most of her victories in Race Chasm states. I believe that is, at least in part, because of her deft use and exploitation of racial politics. In other words, Indiana is precisely the kind of state Clinton's scorched earth campaign has proven adept at winning in a Democratic primary -- her being consistently ahead or close is not news because it is to be expected.

But that's not the point here -- and frankly, I don't really care who has been ahead or behind in polls. What's notable -- and disturbing -- is that Hillary Clinton feels the need to lie in very obvious fashion, as if everyone is just too stupid to look up the easily verifiable facts. I'm going to capitalize this and boldface it for emphasis: SHE HAS BEEN EITHER AHEAD OR AT THE MARGIN OF ERROR IN EVERY SINGLE MAJOR POLL* DONE IN INDIANA, YET IS CLAIMING WITH A STRAIGHT FACE THAT "WE CAME FROM SO FAR BEHIND IN INDIANA."

This is not normal human behavior -- not by a long shot. It's actually rather scary, and it gets to a deeper issue -- the issue of trust. Why does Clinton feel the need to lie in the face of verifiable facts? She did it with NAFTA, she did it with Bosnia and now she's doing it with polling numbers. I just don't get this - and I say that not as a "Hillary hater" but as an honest declaration of frustration. Her behavior tells me she's either so arrogant that she's fine with insulting the public's intelligence with such in-your-face lying, or she's a pathological liar that has gotten so used to lying that she doesn't even know she's doing it anymore.

Look, it's one thing to spin -- it's another thing to spin and lie, all at once. It is that penchant for brazenly trampling the truth that troubles so many people about Clinton.

If you can't trust her to at least acknowledge the verifiable facts, how can you trust that she's serious about doing what she says she'll do as president? I mean, really, would anyone be surprised if - seeing this pathological behavior now -- Clinton gets into the White House, and then pretends she never made all the promises she made as a candidate? I think not -- and that trust issue, more than anything, is what polls show makes so many people uncomfortable with her candidacy.

* UPDATE: A commenter pointed out that in a tiny-sample poll way back in February, Obama was up 15 points. This poll was so insignificant as to not be listed even by RCP, and I think it's a huge stretch to say Clinton -- with all the rest of the polling data over the last few months -- isn't deliberately lying to create a storyline about being "an underdog." Nobody -- not a single honest observer of politics, nor anyone who knows even a shred of political data about Indiana -- thinks Hillary Clinton was "an underdog" in Indiana. It's blatantly ridiculous -- and those who rest that claim on one tiny early, wildly outlying poll are showing they are actually willing to accept pathological lying as truth. All of that said, in the interest of getting all of the data out there, I just wanted to flag it now that someone pointed it out to me.

Join the book club for David Sirota's upcoming book, The Uprising, due out on 5/27.

Comments

[floydknight]

Now that's what I call, TESTICULAR FORTITUDE. I hope the Kentucky Derby finish was a metaphor for tomorrow's primaries.

BIG BROWN WINS!!! THE PHILLY LOSES AND IS TAKING DOWN!!!

[technokitty]

Don't do valiant Eight Belles any disrespect by comparing her to the delusional monster we know as Billary...­.:) Eight Belles ran a race with intgrity and made a spectacular finsh against many worthy opponents. The only sentiment between them is that many want HRC, not Eight Belles, put down once and for all to end this grand delusion called her campaign. I would take Eight Belles over HRc anyday!

[Researchguy66]

Nice, death threats are always considered harmless by the secret service.

[ebanks84]

That's exactly what will happen to Hillary. She is sliding down right now and will soon be on all fours. Boy I would hate to be around her when she KNOWS she has lost because she don't seem to know it yet.

[HarryTichbaum]

Can a "congenital liar"
Who can dodge sniper fire
But can"t pump her own gas
Fix America"s flat tire?
Why do pundits keep giving her a pass
But keep Barrack in his Jeremiah quagmire?
Better ratings if they make the race last
Wright to the convention wire?
Now she parrots McCain"s call
To suspend the gas tax,
And then she has the gall
To drop the "elitist" ax
On any and all
Who disagree with "her" plan.
Now she"s threatening to obliterate Iran?
Spoken like a true, non-pansy, testicular man!

[VivaZapata]

Spinning may have come to be expected political and media behavior, but it is not fine. Attempts to deceive people rather than argue the merits of one's own position brings into question one's character. Outright lying is worse, I might agree, but that doesn't make spinning fine and neither does the fact that we've become accustomed to it.

[TheKnownTruth]

Happy Days !!!! The Wizard of Oz. Ding Dong Bells !!!

I am no longer shock by anything coming from that campaign. I give them credit for imagination, creativity, and inventiveness. They are the most "out of the box" thinks on the planet when jammed up. They remind me of a cornered cat.

Sad part ? It would have been nice to have had her apply the dedication and talent to solving America's problem's. If she had done this during her first term as Senator, Bush would be toast.

Whooops ... sorry .... for a moment there I thought she cared.....­.about us I mean....

Dang there I go again...th­inking she's got a heart..

[BBackSoon]

I have got to agree with several here. While I never did like Hillary I would have voted for her over almost any of the Refuges. But over the last 3 or 4 months things have changed. We have seen the win at all costs followed by a scorched earth campaign and I am totally unsure what I will do come November.

I will not vote McCain but I am not sure I could vote for Clinton either. I worry that there are enough people in the same place I am, that it could actually add up to a McCain win.

[SmovDrkBro]

I too have grown wary of a HRC Administration. She epitomizes all that is wrong with politics. The smile in your face, say anything, do anything, people are too stupid to remember what I told them on the campaign trail mindset.

If she somehow spins/lies her way past Obama, I'd be angry enough to not vote in November. To me, casting a vote for HRC would simply be reinforcing the status quo, and I'm not going to d it!

[Charmed]

Hillary is a BIG LIAR but what bothers me is the people that cheer her behavior on. Truth means absolutely nothing to them....

[justobserve]

Exactly! She is clinging to this because there are still people who believe in her lies. Her husband lied under oath and she of course spun and lied too so she didn't have to be under questioning. The Clintons are certified pathological liars.

[OriginalScreenName]

No kidding, I can't even stand to look at taylormarsh.com. People there are absolutely sick, just as bad as Fox news. The comments are even more disturbing.

[Moose49]

"What's notable - and disturbing - is that Hillary Clinton feels the need to lie in very obvious fashion, as if everyone is just too stupid to look up the easily verifiable facts."

Turns out, David Geffen was right.

[missjabez]

I agree with Mr. Sirota. Clinton lies because 1) she believes it works and 2) she's gotten so used to lying that she doesn't realize it when she does it. In other words, lying to her is as natural as breathing. She obviously has a serious character problem. Just what we need in the White House: a congenital liar.

[greejambri]

It's what we've got already! NO MORE BUSHES AND NO MORE CLINTONS!!!

[AjicNYC]

wow what a suprise yet another anti Hillary post on Huffpo.

more power to you guys build that hate up!!!

[MPeter]

The Clintons are congenital liars. They are divisive racebaiters who could care less what happens to the party if they do not win. They need to be stopped. Superdelegates need to repudate them as the vermins that they have become.

[jimbobuddy]

Say, here's a thought: why not respond to the accusations, instead of a meaningless , knee-jerk reaction? Otherwise , why are you here? I'm a former Clintonista. I long held the position that Hillary was unfairly pilloried , because she was a strong, outspoken woman. While that is still true, Hillary has revealed this ' other' side of her that is ugly, and counter to the progressive ideals that MOST of us on this site hold. For a long time I was very disquited by her refusal to admit that her AUMF vote was wrong. But her shameful performance concerning the Bosnia lie caused the scales to fall from my eyes. That was when i saw the pattern in her behavior.
By contrast, when Barack speaks , even during the Rev Wright affair, it seems like a breath of fresh air. That's why he'll be the next President. This is Hillary's 2012 , scorched earth strategy. We see that. We reject her. She'll NEVER be the Dem nominee. The Clintons have destroyed their reputation with millions of Dems, and irretrievably sullied their legacies.

[greejambri]

Hear, hear!!!

[OriginalScreenName]

Just like your dear Hillary, you completely ignore the facts.

I have zero tolerance for someone who ignores fact. I'm not misogynist, I'm lyist.

[spotchester]

Your candidate is a liar. That's a fact. It's nothing we made up. Maybe you should be pissed at your candidate.

[highlyamused]

Do you have any constructive thoughts on why people 'hate' Hillary?
I think that would be a good topic of discussion somewhere.
Why do people end up hating politicians, other countries, each other?

Is there a good reason for it? Do they actually hate the human or just
their actions?
There's a reason why.......­....look in to it.
I don't hate Hillary the human being.....­.....but I certainly hate her actions and her choices and how she uses people ( In ANY way ) to achieve what she wants. She has not, however, risen to the point where I wouldn't cross the street to piss on her if she were on fire......­..........­..that, I save for Bush AND Cheney.

[RDixon]

It's official.
Clinton has become the dreaded thing that wouldn't leave.

Why does she lie?

Because it has always worked for her, and she is such a creature of habit.

The minority of people in this country who support her are exactly like the minority that still supports Bush.

America can not stand another 4 years of Bush in the white house and that is why WE do not want when it come to Clinton.

[Kalifornika]

Hillary would not be another 4 years of Bush on Policy. Just on the lying part. . . if we can believe yer policy statements . . .

[OriginalScreenName]

Really? Last time I checked, Bill Clinton's presidency wasn't all that Progressive. Seemed like a lot of Conservative ideas got passed.

[greejambri]

The PROCESS of governing would be the same for Hillary as for W. I don't give a shit about policy content when what we would get is more polarization, division, lying, and war mongering. I'll NEVER vote for Hillary.

[kira181]

What "deft use and exploitation of racial politics"?

The "underdog" thing is much ado about nothing -- both candidates are always claiming that title for one reason or another. Here, it just says, "I couldn't think of any new Hillary Outrages so let me just throw this one on out there and wait for the applause."

This is "Al Gore is a liar" all over again.

But the accusations of racism have gotten way out of hand. Do you really think Charlie Rangel, Maya Angelou, Stephanies Tubbs, etc. are so stupid that they wouldn't recognize racism when they saw it or heard it?

Are you really okay with what was done with the War Room clip? Why do you think people were so ready to believe that? Why do they continue to believe it? You know why.

[scrutiny1]

But the accusations of racism have gotten way out of hand. Do you really think Charlie Rangel, Maya Angelou, Stephanies Tubbs, etc. are so stupid that they wouldn't recognize racism when they saw it or heard it?

At this point, yes I do. And for the record, I am African-American.

[kira181]

For the record, I'm tall. And just because I don't agree with someone doesn't make them automatically stupid.

[MadamBlu]

I think the people you mentioned are tokens for Hillary's campaign. Do you really believe that Hillary would have put out this ad with Maya Angelou if she didn't have a problem gaining support among black voters?

And WHY does she have a problem earning the support of black voters???

[kira181]

Maya Angelou is now a "token"? If you can reduce Maya Angelou to nothing more than a political tool, I can't help you.

[RichLiberal]

Here, maybe you can add this to your "tiny correction":

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0208/Obamas_projections.html

It shows Obama's own projections:

Indiana 53-46 Obama

Others like Penn had him down 47-52, Texas down 47-51, Ohio down 46-53,
NC up 53-45, all seem pretty much in line with everything else.

Looks like you might tbe the liar here.

[ATLiberal]

So, you have a single article from Feb 7 (3 months ago) that you are using to refute a slew of independent polls over the last month/ 6 weeks. That's pretty weak stuff.

[TheKnownTruth]

Take a deep breath....

[Liberoservative]

That was speculation in what they *thought* they could do... not an actual poll. Yeesh...

[SamThornton]

Perfectly willing to cede the "underdog" label to Sen. Clinton. Hope she becomes even more of an underdog as time marches on. Perhaps she can sew up an absolute lock on her underdoghood sooner rather than later. That would be a blessing.

[TomR]

My take is "spinning" is the spun way of saying "manipulat­ing." And manipulation is a form of emotional abuse. When a politician lies to the American people, they are attempting to emotionally abuse them. Let's face it, if you have the truth and facts on your side, there's no need to spin/manipulate. Just state the facts and let them speak for themselves to make your case.

There are 18 different manipulation tactics to be aware of: lying (including by omission), denial, minimization, selective inattention, rationalization, diversion, evasion, covert intimidation, guilt-tripping, toxic shaming, playing the victim role, vilifying the victim, playing the servant role, seduction (charm offensive), projecting the blame, feigning innocence, feigning confusion, and brandishing anger (false outrage). To learn about these tactics in depth, you can order a book on Amazon called "In Sheep's Clothing: Understanding and Dealing With Manipulative People" by Dr. George K. Simon.

Truthful framing and persuasion is about bringing a person's perception of reality closer to the truth. False framing and manipulation is about distorting a person's perception of reality away from the truth.

- Tom

[NuttyProf]

I hate what she has done but she is damn good at it, no?

[SeriousBlack]

Yeah and Ted Bundy was damn good at what he did, wasn't he?

So does that mean that we should admire who Ted Bundy was?

[JillQ]

"...but she is damn good at it, no?" That's the problem. Even the pundits give her kudos for her lying, saying it's "good politics." In essence, they are legitimizing the lies and her ability to tell them so well. It disgusts me that the MSM is unabashedly obvious with its admiration.