Campaign Commercial Invasion
Lately, commercials have been getting under my skin. Granted, everything gets under my skin. But at least these are reasonable complaints. Political campaign commercials have been ridiculous. Not only are these 30 second spots on at EVERY commercial break, but they are almost entirely negative. Good ol' Teddy Roosevelt characterized this reprehensible tactic, "raking the muck", a century ago and it has only gotten worse since.
Listen Michael Arcuri, candidate for NY's 24th Congressional District. I don't care if your opponent in this election, Ray Meier, voted to increase his own pay 45,000 times last week. And Dan Maffei, candidate for NY's 25 Congressional District, I don't want to hear that incumbent Jim Walsh has voted 99% of the time in concurrence with George W. Bush. Please don't use buzz words to win the election. Politics isn't about parties, it's about the people. What kind of solutions can you offer to bipartisan issues? Great, so you think Iraq was a terrible initiative. Is that really a novel perspective these days? What do you think about Social Security? What do you think about Medicare? What is your plan for taxes? What is your plan for the federal deficit? How are you going to improve the country's education? Don't give me overplayed, distorted perspectives that may be valid, but are out of context and diverting from the real issues. Give me answers. And when one candidate's opponent wins, they will wish the winner good luck and tell their constituents to trust their representative. I'm tired of the two-facedness that characterizes American politics. Politics really is a fruitless career for intelligent, aspiring young people, causing the best persons for the job to work in the private sector or for themselves.
There is one candidate in this region who I have not seen making negative political ads. Not that I can even vote for him (being from NJ), but Dave Valesky, incumbent running for the seat of State Senator in NY for Oneida County, would receive my vote. I know nothing of his political actions besides what he says in his ads, and didn't even know what political party he is a member of until I looked for him online.
Only in researching his political stances can I see that in many ways I don't agree with his political views at all, but in comparison to politicians of my lifetime, I at least feel as though I can trust him to be honest and forthright. That's why there is widespread disenchantment among young voters. Being new to the political process, we concern ourselves with the issues, rather than the parties, or the parties' histories. That's why politicians who we come to trust to be honest with us garner our respect. People like Senator John McCain. But while honesty and a best effort is subservient to partisan politics and pandering agendas to special interests, politicians like McCain will never gain his party's Presidential nomination.
Obviously all of these muck raker campaigners believe that Americans are too dumb/lazy to research political stances, and I don't necessarily disagree. But based on this same mentality, if I was to go into the voting booth knowing nothing about the candidates' politics, I would cast my vote for the candidate with integrity. For me, addressing the issues will always work better than smear tactics.
And I am aware that negative campaigning works. But the people who we elect to represent us in government, the people who should strive only for the betterment of their region and the nation as a whole, need to hold themselves to a higher standard. I don't care that muck raking works. If anyone should be counted on to always demonstrate integrity, honesty, respect for others; characteristics of a true leader, it should be politicians.
Listen Michael Arcuri, candidate for NY's 24th Congressional District. I don't care if your opponent in this election, Ray Meier, voted to increase his own pay 45,000 times last week. And Dan Maffei, candidate for NY's 25 Congressional District, I don't want to hear that incumbent Jim Walsh has voted 99% of the time in concurrence with George W. Bush. Please don't use buzz words to win the election. Politics isn't about parties, it's about the people. What kind of solutions can you offer to bipartisan issues? Great, so you think Iraq was a terrible initiative. Is that really a novel perspective these days? What do you think about Social Security? What do you think about Medicare? What is your plan for taxes? What is your plan for the federal deficit? How are you going to improve the country's education? Don't give me overplayed, distorted perspectives that may be valid, but are out of context and diverting from the real issues. Give me answers. And when one candidate's opponent wins, they will wish the winner good luck and tell their constituents to trust their representative. I'm tired of the two-facedness that characterizes American politics. Politics really is a fruitless career for intelligent, aspiring young people, causing the best persons for the job to work in the private sector or for themselves.
There is one candidate in this region who I have not seen making negative political ads. Not that I can even vote for him (being from NJ), but Dave Valesky, incumbent running for the seat of State Senator in NY for Oneida County, would receive my vote. I know nothing of his political actions besides what he says in his ads, and didn't even know what political party he is a member of until I looked for him online.
Only in researching his political stances can I see that in many ways I don't agree with his political views at all, but in comparison to politicians of my lifetime, I at least feel as though I can trust him to be honest and forthright. That's why there is widespread disenchantment among young voters. Being new to the political process, we concern ourselves with the issues, rather than the parties, or the parties' histories. That's why politicians who we come to trust to be honest with us garner our respect. People like Senator John McCain. But while honesty and a best effort is subservient to partisan politics and pandering agendas to special interests, politicians like McCain will never gain his party's Presidential nomination.
Obviously all of these muck raker campaigners believe that Americans are too dumb/lazy to research political stances, and I don't necessarily disagree. But based on this same mentality, if I was to go into the voting booth knowing nothing about the candidates' politics, I would cast my vote for the candidate with integrity. For me, addressing the issues will always work better than smear tactics.
And I am aware that negative campaigning works. But the people who we elect to represent us in government, the people who should strive only for the betterment of their region and the nation as a whole, need to hold themselves to a higher standard. I don't care that muck raking works. If anyone should be counted on to always demonstrate integrity, honesty, respect for others; characteristics of a true leader, it should be politicians.
posted by Brian Doty at 3:55 PM
3 Comments:
Understand that 95% of voters aren't as smart as you or I. Most people only know three things about our government:
1)Who our President is
2) That we are at war
3) The party that his/her parents supported.
People are too dumb to actually know what federal budgets are for or that we are stuck in Iraq regardless of who wins. It's too bad but it's too true.
I do agree with you about McCain. He's one of the few Congressmen I completely respect. he stepped away from his party's ideals in order to stand up for his OWN ideals (ie: giving Bush shit for his movement to change the Geneva Convention). You have to understand also that Congressional election candidates are always going to be extremely polarized to their party's main issues. Once the primaries are over, all they can do is run with an obvious message. Also, House elections have been so fucked for the last 100 years that it's nearly impossible for an incumbent to lose his seat. You should at least be happy that this election will be filled with a lot of transition and Republicans won't be making ALL the decisions in Congress.
Then again, you're a cutie.
Yeah, but as polarized as the two parties are these days, nothing will improve. Both are so out-of-touch that any majority in government is a detriment to the people, regardless of the issues at hand. With parties as they are these days, there is no moral leader who has enraptured his or her side of the aisle enough to call for changes that will help all Americans, and not just retain the power of their party in government. My main problem is not with the parties we have, but with their methods and motives. I realize that I will sometimes disagree with the motions of one political party, but I want to at least feel as though they are starting these motions with the people in mind, rather than the goal of gaining more political power for themselves or for their party by just pointing out what the other side does wrong.
Show me your breasts. No really I mean it. Robin, tell doty to show us his breasts.
Robin: "wowowowowooooo, Doooty shooow us your cans!"
You heard the lady, get naked.
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