Bill Moyers The Truth about Lies

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Bill MoyersThe Truth about Lies

• Michael Milburn
• Psychology 335

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Questions

• What is the publics reaction to governmental
  lies?
• What do you think is the source of these
  reactions?
• Does this have any relevance for our discussion
  of Panama/Haiti? The Politics of Denial?
• Is what happened during Vietnam (LBJ and his
  critics) relevant to current politics? Who is
  Max Clelland?

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Groupthink

• Irving Janis (Psychology, Yale Univ.)
• A potential problem with cohesive groups
• Concurrence-seeking becomes primary goal

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Questions

• What is the publics reaction to governmental
  lies?
• What do you think is the source of these
  reactions?
• Does this have any relevance for our discussion
  of Panama/Haiti? The Politics of Denial?
• Is what happened during Vietnam (LBJ and his
  critics) relevant to current politics? Who is
  Max Clelland?

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Max Clelland

• Senator from Georgia
• Lost two legs and an arm in Vietnam
• Lost Senate race for reelection when Saxby
  Chambliss questioned his patriotism because
• Clelland voted for a successful 1997 amendment to
  the chemical weapons treaty that removed language
  barring inspectors from certain countries from
  being part of United Nations inspection teams in
  Iraq

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• Chambliss accused Clelland on at least one
  occasion of "breaking his oath to protect and
  defend the Constitution."
• As if to emphasize his point, Chambliss even ran
  a TV ad. The ad associated Cleland with Osama bin
  Laden and Saddam Hussein.
• "As America faces terrorists and extremist
  dictators," the announcer said as images of bin
  Laden and Hussein appear on screen, "Max Clelland
  runs television ads claiming he has the courage
  to lead."