Why don’t many Republicans, conservatives or libertarians care that Dan Maes has been embellishing his record as a business executive, which I consider the equivalent of lying on his resume? And why don’t Obama Democrats care about the president’s lies?

The simple answer is that a lot of people lie on their resumes and otherwise and excuse it. According to The Cheating Culture by David Callahan (HarcourtBooks.com, 2004, $26, 353 pp), some 40% of executives and new college graduates have lied on their resumes. Some executive recruiters say nearly half of job applicants lie on their resumes. If voters habitually lie, they don’t care if Dan Maes tries to turn his mediocre business career into a ladder to political power as governor of Colorado.

Search the internet for “resume lying” and you’ll find dozens of stories and articles about dishonest job applicants and lying on resumes. 

Note that more often than not in the private sector, resume lies disqualify job applicants immediately.

But in politics, the same voters who complain about corrupt politicians elect them even after they’re resume lies have been exposed. The leading U.S. Senate candidates in Illinois and Connecticut, a Republican and a Democrat respectively, have had their resume lies exposed this year. They have good chances of being elected regardless.

In her article, Lying on your resume: why it won’t work, Michelle Goodman writes in part:

Ditto for Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat running for U.S. Senate who recently was outed by the New York Times for having fabricated his supposed combat experience during the Vietnam War. (Although Blumenthal did join the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve in 1970, he never served in Vietnam.)

Then there’s U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who’s running for the Senate. He, too, has been accused of exaggerating his military record, claiming an award he never received and combat duty in Iraq he never served.

What’s really discouraging is that folks who lie on their resumes probably lie about other things that affect their careers and lives. They tell lies when they buy and sell. They lie to themselves, their spouses, their kids and friends. And they think they’re fine, principled Americans.

LINKS:

Lying on your resume: Why it won’t work. By Michelle Goodman.

How to catch those lying liars. By J. Jennings Moss.

Lying on your resume may hinder your career in the future. By Lee Miller.

The Cheating Culture; why more Americans are doing wrong to get ahead. By David Callahan.