Burke: What good is a lie if you can’t repeat it constantly?

By Tom Burke

Donald Trump is a liar. He lies a lot, about a lot, and everybody knows it.

His lies are blatant, easily disproved, and he tells the same odious, obvious lies over and over and over again.

But some 30 percent to 40 percent of Americans don’t seem to care and still support him, according to recent polling.

I see no earthly, logical reason why. Do these same people believe the earth is flat? Do they think the stork brings babies? That Santa Claus isn’t real? That there’s “No collusion”?

The Washington Post (FAKE NEWS!) just began a new feature about serial liars. It’s called the “Bottomless Pinocchio” and only politicians (of all persuasions) with 20 or awards of three or four Pinocchios, qualify. So far, only Donald Trump makes the list, not once, but fourteen times.

OK, it’s the Post and everyone knows the Post lies. As does the New York Times, Seattle Times, Chicago Trib, Boston Globe, Atlanta Journal Constitution, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, the AP, NPR, NBC, CBS, CNN, ABC, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, The Herald — and your local church bulletin — lie (according to another Trump falsehood).

Except Fox News, of course.

Now some people trust Trump because….because he’s so good at his job?

Because he hired only the “best people?” (Like Flynn, Manafort, Cohen, Pruitt, Price, Porter, Shulkin, Manigault-Newman, Bannon, Gates, Papadopoulos, Tillerson, et al.)

Because his China trade policy is working so well? (American soy bean sales to China down 91 percent.)

Because North Korea is no longer a nuclear threat? (Check satellite photos of Kim’s new secret missile bases.)

Because, “I didn’t have sex with that woman.” (Oops, wrong President; with Trump it’s “those women.”)

Because he did so well in the mid-terms? (The Trumpians lost control of the House, badly.)

Because he made manufacturing great again? (Ask one of the 14,000 GM workers got laid pink slips.)

Because the Saudis are spending $450 billion and adding a million jobs in the U.S.? (Go ahead, find just one worker who got a job because of new Saudi investment.)

Because he cut the deficit? (Check the Treasury, we’re now $1 trillion in debt, a record.)

Because he’s rebuilding America’s infrastructure?. (Find just one construction worker who got a job because of Trump’s program.)

So what has “Individual-1” been lying about? Let’s take a look:

That “a lot of the wall has been built…big sections of the wall” (which Mexico will pay for). Said it 86 times, and it’s a two-fer lie: Congress has expressly forbidden any money be spent on the wall and Mexico’s said, “No.”

That his wall will stop drugs entering the country. Said it 86 times. It’s a lie according to Trump’s own Drug Enforcement Agency, which says most drugs are smuggled in through legal points of entry.

That the U.S. pays most of the cost of NATO. Said it 87 times and it’s a lie, just ask the Pentagon.

That the Dems colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election. Said it 48 time and it’s a lie, it was the Dems who were hacked.

That Mueller has a “conflict of interest.” It’s a lie he’s repeated 30 times offering zero/zilch/no proof.

That Mueller’s staff “all worked for Hillary Clinton.” Said it 97 times and it’s a lie. No one on Mueller’s staff worked for Clinton. Besides, the DOJ is legally barred from discriminating based on political affiliation, so it’s a lie and ignorance.

That the Trump tax cut is the “biggest in U.S. history.” Said it 123 times and it’s a lie. His Treasury department says it’s only the 8th largest.

That U.S. Steel is building six new factories. Said it 37 times. It’s a lie. U.S. Steel says they ain’t.

That we’ve “lost” $800 billion in trade deficits. Said it 117 times. It’s a lie. We haven’t “lost” anything, we just buy more overseas stuff-and-services than the stuff-and-services other countries buy from us.

Trump’s newest, biggest, and most inflammatory/threatening lie: “I think that people would revolt” if he were impeached.

Revolt? You mean an armed uprising revolt? Overthrowing the country revolt? Storming the Bastille revolt? Firing on Fort Sumpter revolt? Occupying Joint Base Lewis-McCord revolt?

Because that’s what a revolt is. It’s a riot. It’s taking up arms. It’s mutiny, a coup, an insurrection. And Donald Trump thinks people will revolt, the Army will mutiny, and his followers will overthrow the government if we simply follow the Constitution, like we did with Nixon and Clinton, and look to impeach him?

It’s dangerous telling lies to other people and telling lies to yourself. You become delusional.

And if Trump thinks people will “revolt” so he can keep lying (and governing badly), he’s clearly delusional.

And that’s what’s truly revolting.

Tom Burke’s email address is t.burke.column@gmail.com.