By Bob Gibson
Charlottesville political blogger
Who do people trust most in political life today?
People would like to trust their politicians, but trust is a two-way street. If political leaders aren’t straight with people, then they earn a kind of distrust that all too often rubs off on those around them.
Political figures who fudge, fake and merely pander give everyone in their profession an extra burden to carry.

Take Rod Blagojevich. Please!
Blagojevich is the fourth of the eight most recent Illinois governors to run afoul of the law, or at least win the right to a trial on charges that make Illinois residents cringe.
The poster boy for reform apparently likes to sell things, such as hospital building contracts and perhaps a Senate seat, although the newly minted Senator from Illinois, Roland Burris, may be allowed to play without having paid.
Before Blagojevich could be stripped of his office, a move that takes weeks, he was able to tweak all foes and critics by making an apparently legal appointment.
Whatever bad taste he leaves, the governor _ once elected as a reform candidate saying citizens deserved better _ follows a long tradition in his state of taking a crooked path to power while claiming to clean up a mess. He made people forget the previous mess by creating a bigger one.
In politics, things can turn on a dime _ or about as quickly on a trillion dollars.
Whatever Virginia’s faults, the Old Dominion is not Illinois.
But Virginia’s politicians are more quick these days to call each other, well, liars.
The L word gets tossed around like a bad penny, cheapening discourse.

People who lie could deserve to be called liars, and those who pander might merit the label panderer, but let’s not insist on throwing harsh labels around when specific dialogue and measured language often better serve better ends.

If someone in elected office said that he was going to vote one way and instead voted another way, it’s better to simply point that fact out rather than resort to calling him a liar.

The overuse of labels may be popular among political consultants, but it cheapens the value of political conversation.

Scratch any Virginia political figures and there’s more in common under the surface than their rhetoric might indicate.

Even liberal Democrats and conservative Republicans can find common cause on many grounds if they try—and if they haven’t pummeled each other with lousy labels.

So to earn the trust of Virginians, and each other, the state’s political class, and even its reporters, could adopt the following 10-point test.

Here are 10 simple steps to the top of the trust meter, starting with the easiest.

1. Telling the truth beats telling people anything else unless it’s both very funny and very harmless.

2. Showing respect to people leads to greater trust.

3. Listening more than talking shows respect.

4. Positive attempts to reach out to people provide political proof that honey trumps vinegar.

5. Look people in the eye and share a sincere and positive belief you have about them or their family or town.

6. Search for, find and build on some belief or goal you have in common with any political adversary.

7. Use humor against yourself, not against political victims.

8. Ask people about their needs, their likes and their loves.

9. Ask questions politely that do not trap people or point to obvious answers.

10. Thank people for their time, their talents and their attention.