General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAre Honesty and Trustworthiness the same thing?
I don't know if Hillary Clinton is the most honest politician to ever run for President, but she's certainly not the most dishonest. Is it wrong though that honesty is low on my list of requirements?
However, Trustworthiness IS important to me. I trust Hillary to run the country effectively. I trust her to help work our way toward progress and have a positive impact on the middle class. I trust that she is qualified and fit to be commander in chief on day one.
I wish pollsters would distinguish between honesty and trustworthiness.
What are your thought?
PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,811 posts)An honest person is trustworthy.
A trustworthy person is honest.
In reality, the two can be very different traits. Someone could be honest, but could be totally untrustworthy i.e. betray you at the first opportunity.
Or, your friend could be trustworthy, always have your back, but frequently be dishonest.
Personally, I'd rather a President be both honest a trustworthy.
JI7
(89,239 posts)"Hey I'm just being honest"
Chemisse
(30,802 posts)As you point out, it involves so much more than just believing the words coming out of someone's mouth.
It would be interesting to see what would happen if pollsters split the two and asked them separately.
On edit - I think Hillary is both, at least to the extent that any politician is, and Trump is neither. There is a vast difference between them.
bmstee01
(453 posts)HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)That's why you've never seen movies where there's a discussion between foxholes about honesty.
Lifeboats? That's a different set of movies...
Igel
(35,270 posts)Except in the snarky "I trust him to lie."
If you're honest, you don't tell intentional falsehoods.
If you're trustworthy, you can be trusted to do what you say you'll do as necessary. If you don't tell the truth, the you're not really trustworthy.
However, it's entirely possible to be weak or self-deluded, to tell unintentional falsehoods, and still be untrustworthy.
You're trying to say that you can trust HRC, however you may think she lies, to do what is right in the end. In other words, to be deceitful in getting power but virtuous in how to use it after that. This strikes me as delusional. Sort of "you can' trust her for the small things, but you can for the large things." I've seldom found this attitude to be proven right in the end: Usually if somebody can't be trusted with a small amount of responsibility they can't be trusted with a lot. (Many can be trusted with small things, but not with large things--that's how temptation for the weak and duplicity for the unjust usually work.)
JI7
(89,239 posts)he was already in record defending same sex marriage before his 2008 run. But mccain never made it an issue .
But i trusted him to do right in gay rights issues.
onecaliberal
(32,774 posts)loyalsister
(13,390 posts)It is a political strategy to be honest in giving deliberately true answers, but to also deflect, dismiss, sidestep, and omit important details. I personally am inclined to watch for those strategies and it informs my tendency on who is trustworthy. I think that one reason people believe all politicians lie is that they are sensitive to the tactics of carefully avoiding lying or giving unpopular or controversial answers.
Whether or not a person perceives it and is bothered by it is up to them, so I think trustworthiness is not black and white because it is determined by a given individual.