Seventy years ago, the nuns at Holy Rosary Elementary in Idaho Falls had an exceptionally dim view of lying. Though not regarded a mortal sin that would sentence one to perdition for all eternity, it was evident that, absent absolution, miscreants were destined for extended penance in Purgatory. Of course, even Catholic kids lied all the time, so we relied on weekly confessions to forgive us for our recidivist misdeeds.

You only need peruse a thesaurus to grasp the prevalence and gradations of mendacity in human relations. There are fibs and little white lies that can incorporate virtuous intent – then we find exaggeration and what Congressman Santos excuses as embellishment. Deliberate misstatements progress through conscious errors of omission, passing on to whole cloth fabrications and malicious deceits.

Certain professions are expected to demand a certain facility at prevarication – used-car salesmen, entrepreneurs, carny barkers and, yes, politicians. Recently the Colorado Legislature has been debating under which circumstances it should be permissible for police to lie to minors in search of the truth. If you feel the answer should be never, think again. And then there are the hopes and aspirations of business start-ups as they chase venture capital from “angel” investors.

Serving in the Legislature I first met a young man who was huckstering for an environmental technology that would eventually go bust. For three decades Jim would pop up every few years marketing yet another tech project. No matter how many occasions his previous enterprises ended in bankruptcy, it seemed there was always another venture happy to contract for his expertise. He vanished nearly a decade ago when he was hired by a Silicon Valley start-up.

I hope he’s become a wealthy man. He certainly paid his dues during periods of fiscal desperation. With the arrival of social media, the white noise generated from the chorus of liars who, like the poor, always seem to be with us, has grown to deafening proportions. So, let’s return to the tales told by George Santos, 2022’s frontrunner for entry into the liar’s hall of fame. Bill Maher offered an observation during his HBO show last week that caught my attention. With Americans divided into red and blue cognitive silos wholly ignorant of what is said or believed outside their own, Santos may be the first candidate to recognize he could tell lies confirming the worst impulses in both groups without alarming either. He won’t be the last.

With American politics divided by a nearly 50-50 distribution, a candidate can be successful by skimming a relatively small fraction from one camp while nailing down nearly unanimous support amongst the other. How exactly did George Santos win a race in a plus-8% Biden district with a Democratic incumbent? He only needed to capture about 20% of the unaffiliated and Democratic voters while capturing all of the Republicans. He ran a full-throated anti-left campaign among Republicans. Democrats rarely heard any of this. Then Santos sent dog whistles designed to elicit sympathy from voters with liberal sentiments.

He alleged his grandparents were Holocaust survivors who had to flee to Brazil. He also claimed to be at least partially Jewish, as well as unreservedly gay (not mentioned was the divorce he secured just three weeks before launching his campaign). Even though Santos was running as a Republican, how awful could he be? It’s a tough time for all incumbents. There’s a slice of voters in each party that would just as soon toss their own elected officials to the curb in favor of new blood. With most voters angry and resentful, who better to kick than the candidate you actually know?

Santos provided lip service to environmental concerns while speaking to Democratic groups and promised to roll back the Green New Deal when speaking to Republicans. Only a single, local Long Island newspaper pointed out the glaring discrepancies in his campaign positions and his dubious qualifications for office. It’s fair to point out that New York Democrats were negligent, failing to investigate or challenge his claims.

Santos has proven a clumsy charlatan, but he will never be shamed into quitting. He will need to be ejected and that appears unlikely for now. Voters can’t be expected to determine who’s lying to them. Colorado Republicans have learned their party leaders have done a poor job of vetting candidates. Santos has exposed a serious flaw in our election system – one sure to soon be exploited by a more talented candidate.

This opportunity is available to both Democratic and Republican frauds. Thump partisan drums when rallying with allies – then show empathy for opposing opinions – and pray you can slip past Election Day before voters realize you are scamming them. The hollowing out of local media makes these charades far easier (Democracy is a poor spectator sport).

Miller Hudson is a public affairs consultant and a former Colorado legislator.