Beware Tells of Uncle Joe

 

BEWARE THE ‘TELLS’ OF UNCLE JOE

What is a “tell”? The usage comes from poker and refers to ‘an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception’. In politics it means, well, the same thing. In gambling and its first-cousin politics a ‘tell’ includes words spoken (or sometimes not spoken).

Now that the 2020 Presidential campaign begins in earnest, don’t be fooled by former Vice-President Joe Biden’s hesitations, stumbling for words, or misspeaks. Sure, he has had a life-long struggle with stuttering which he fights daily to overcome. But, that’s just part of the story. After all, he’s just trying to keep up with an unlimited volume of videos of the opposition doing the same or worse.

Politicians with ‘Tells’ reject fact-checkers and “Pinocchio” postings. And, even though Uncle Joe is not known as an habitual, if not pathological liar, we will need listen more carefully than usual as campaign now heats up. The key is to listen closely for the same ‘tells’ politicians and office holders fall back on.

A few ‘Tells’ professional observers have observed in politicians:

Asked unexpected question first response is disprovable

Tells any story which begins with someone calling him ‘sir’

Cites any round number at all (real number is usually smaller)

Claims he has set a record or done something ‘never done before’

Blames ‘the media’ anytime knowable facts conflict with what is said

Walks out when ‘media’ calls out contradiction in they said day before

A few ‘Tells’ I’ve personally observed:

Stumbles through competing ‘answers’ to one question until settling on one

Denies saying something you and everyone else in the room heard him say

Other often used ‘Tells’ to watch out for:

Nobody knows more than me about…

Everybody knows and/or agrees...

I’ll have solution in two weeks...

Not many people know this…

A lot of people are saying…

Only I can solve that...

You can believe me…

Watch and listen carefully to what is done and said by Uncle Joe. If he does happen to reveal one of these ‘Tells’, he may just be trying to keep up with the reputation of he of ‘’great and unmatched wisdom’.