The Best Man

The Best Man, a political movie that came out in 1964. It is a great reflection on how politics are conducted today. It has politicians lie, cheat, and attempts to steal the election. But are those behaviors and skills legitimist to help secure an election or political race. While I do think lying is something I expect and don't really see a large problem with politicians using it but when it comes to cheating and stealing the election are not tools a politician should use. This is because it would create distrust in the voters much greater than a lie. It also makes people want to go against the person who may have cheated and vote for someone else in the current or next election. 

But when looking at The U.S. V. Alvarez, it shows how lying as a politician for so long, it completely turn his world over. He had lied for years about having received a Medal of Honor, and thus was charged under the federal Stolen Valor Act. The case itself was overturned by a 6-3 vote from the supreme court. Even though he technically won, there was great back lash causing much distrust in Alvarez. This raises the question about the relationship between leadership and truth. Now while I do believe being a truthful leader is important, having to lie about something can be important for a leader. I do believe telling a small lie or omitting the truth can be important when leading but it just depends on how big the lie is.