Jerry Rafshoon’s provocative blog did exactly what a good piece of writing should do: provoke argument, provoke thought.
One thought I’m reminded of is just how different this election looks to different people. For example, here in my congressional district, in Scottsdale, Arizona, a surprisingly competitive race has sparked an unbelievable duel of negative advertising….at times, one would be forgiven for thinking one had turned on a Saturday Night Live parody.
It is my pleasure to offer, without charge, the following ad concept for Messrs. Hayworth (Republican) or Mitchell (Democrat) to use on election eve. It would be a seamlessly suitable capper to either campaign to-date:
Opening Scene: A little child’s feet splayed helplessly outside a covering sheet on a stretcher, being pushed hastily into an ambulance by a crying medic.
Announcer: A helpless child.
Scene: The ambulance doors close and the vehicle speeds off, sirens wailing; the camera pans to crying women and children left behind.
Announcer: An unspeakable tragedy of the kind seen on Law and Order every day.
Scene: Dissolves into a grainy black and white photo of Hayworth/Mitchell.
Announcer: No arrest of an actual perpetrator. No one even accused of a crime.
Scene: Camera zooms in on a slowly moving, empty swing on a children’s swingset.
Announcer: In response to our questions, federal prosecutors confirmed that no criminal charges have ever been filed against Hayworth/Mitchell—they refused to confirm or deny that any criminal investigation is pending. The most important question remains unanswered: Can We Afford to Take a Chance on Hayworth/Mitchell?
As bad as these campaigns have become, we are all seeing somewhat different campaigns.
If one lives in an area with this sort of competition, there is the understandable tendency to see division sown by one’s favored candidate as based on “tough” recitations of facts, even though many are at best half-truths. Yet, the same from the opposition is seen as outside the bounds of decency.
This is reinforced depending on where one gets one’s news. When I look to the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Chris Matthews, or various left-wing blogs, it appears that the Republicans are running a negative, divisive campaign against victimized Democrats. When I look to Fox News, Hugh Hewitt, and various right-wing blogs, it appears that the Democrats are running a negative, divisive campaign against victimized Republicans.
One might well say that both sides are right—yet each chooses to see only part of the picture. The fact is, both legacy parties are running highly divisive campaigns. The “victors” next week will truly be left with the “spoils”—the spoils of deeper division, greater mutual mistrust, more triviality in public discourse, and no clear public mandate for progress toward resolving critical national issues.
Division is not always a bad thing—and complacence, apathy, and indifference are rarely good things. There are serious reasons to discuss and thrash out differences on the “crucial” issues Unity 08 has identified. In theory, the two great political parties should be vehicles for a beneficial competition, for defining and sorting out necessary and important differences.
But division arising from fundamentally non-serious negativity and attacks, simply tearing down others, will not be a strong foundation for the kind of nation Americans want to bequeath to the rising generations.
If Unity 08 can help restore a party politics that serves the public, rather than divides us for its own ends, it will have performed a historic service.
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Clear policy to resolve the issues of the day. For the people now know neither party will reform the fraud and abuse because both parties are sponsored by those making money off of these things that can now be replaced with computers... So if either party wishes to stand a chance in 2024 they had better buckle down and cough up some real hitech reforms to eliminate the fraud and abuse that sponsores them (impossible) or the Independent movement will crush them on this point alone... - Earn Snyder
Author "$aving the bureaucracy - Killing the beast"
Modern Progressive Independent
www.appyp.com/fix_main.html
I will be supporting Independents in every race. As I will not support either extremist political party as both are destroying the nation by hijacking the halls of Congress. Denying the American people of the critical legislation being demanded by the people to save this nation... No walls, no positive identification system and the continued exodus of our jobs... Vote Independent for change or be led like sheep to slaughter... -Earn Snyder
Author "$aving the bureaucracy - Killing the beast"
Modern Progressive Independent
www.appyp.com/fix_main.html
MFVboomer
Mr. Strock I disagree with your premise that people should provoke argument in their writing, especially in the political arena. I think discussion is a better word than argument. Arguments lead to a dead end which in my mind does not lead to unity or two sides meeting in the middle.
Discussion on the other hand will in most cases, not all, lead to a better exchange of ideas that will stand a better chance of leading two opposite views to a meeting in the middle rather than an argument.
Arguments usually lead to battered emotions and feelings while discussion more often leads to compromise.
Being an independent I neither care for the views of the far left or those of the far right. But I do not believe it is helpful in promoting unity for either to be trashed in public discourse, written or spoken.
Jame's,
The only useful mechanism for a politician without integrity is to use fear as a weapon.
Bush loves using fear. The Democrats use it over and over. What would the world look like if we used love instead of fear to win our elections?
To truly be a leader is not having the most followers. A true leader teaches others to lead.
Anyone who would prefer to use fear is a coward and a communist.
Stop hearing the propaganda and start listening for the truth.
Blessing's
Blake Hayner
I think my TV is ruined and my paper shredder is fouled from all of the negative ads I get bombarded by each day. I'm scared to answer the phone and although I might be able to save my mail box by steam cleaning, though it will require some hard work. look, the landscape is littered with signs, banners and posters that are a blight to behold.
The media has already given us their distorted opinions and if we listen to them the election is all but over and the voting is just a formality. Most of the candidates are smeared with foul labels and the ones that "win" are tainted and are distrusted by the ones who didn't vote for them. The two major parties seem only intent on numbers in in the battle for control, not the individual candidates, their honesty, character, ideas, etc. Every thing else comes after party affiliation. We the voters come in a distant third, if at all. No wonder so many people stay at home on election day. Sad, sad, sad.
Smhiott, I feel your pain. It would be unrealistic to believe that the drawn out cessation of this dark period in our nation's history would be pretty or painless...
I found the linked column inspirational, and hope some of you do as well. These are the type of citizen initiatives that we can all get behind - individually, as a movement, or perhaps by influencing our respective parties. It will take a mass of people to force our political process to respond to the real needs of the day, and nothing says that this pressure must start from within a formal party or constituted organization. The power of the internet allows us to learn of positive efforts and instantly lend our support to them, whether through funding, phone call programs, email campaigns, etc.
Enjoy, and draw hope: http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/opinion/15919561.htm
Mark Greene
Texas Democrat in the Middle
Imagine if we(the ones still trying)went to the polls in a few days and found that all labels indicating the persons party affiliation were gone and they were only listed alphabetically. What confusion there would be. We would not know how to vote! Oh my goodness, what would we do without someone leading us around, how many of us really know who we are voting for. Will it happen? not much of a chance but if it did we would be forced to actually find out something about a person ... maybe a picture would help, then we could see if he or she looked like the type we want .... again sad, sad, sad... like sheep to the slaughter.
There aren't a lot of things to praise about Louisiana, but I would be thrilled to see a system nationwide that mirrored theirs and with IRV as a clarifier. In that case the Parties would still potentially have some clout, but they would really need to stand for something and something that the bulk of the populace could get behind. I retain my belief that the Democrats do, but they do a piss-poor job of communicating it.
Mark Greene
Texas Democrat in the Middle
I'm not sure Unity is going to be much help if there is no recognition of the basic problem.
I am sure Unity is not going to be much help if there is no recognition that real solutions to real problems need to be discussed and policies decided upon to address them in the public interest.
The problem is not simply that both sides simply seek to perpetuate their own power.
The problem is not simply that both sides are uncivil and cross all traditional lines of decency, violating all desirable community standards for political discourse.
The problem is that both sides have turned the entire government into a fraud by which incumbents distribute spoils -- our tax dollars -- to their friends and sponsors.
Both sides ignore the public interest -- neither side has any shame whatsoever about this.
Over the last several decades both parties, Presidents and lawmakers alike, have forgotten and abandoned principles, have become enamored with power and position, and have put politics over policy.
What we want is not merely civility, but rather real institutional reforms for a Congress and an Executive branch that have grown increasingly arrogant and corrupt.
I do not mean to suggest that only the Federal government should be our focus - for if anything, the arrogance and corruption at the State level dwarfs that on the Federal level.
We want politicians who will put the public interest first, who will champion national issues, not local pork projects or the creature comforts of high office.
Perhaps that is simply not possible - in which case the United States is merely a shell - a poor imitation of itself at various times in its history when it rose above the slime and stench of corruption to achieve great things for its people and for peoples around the world.
A kingdom founded on injustice never lasts. Every man prefers belief to the exercise of judgment. Shall I tell you what the real evil is? To cringe to the things that are called evils, to surrender to them our freedom, in defiance of which we ought to face.
MFV a TRP Independent
Seneca: I concur with your point 100%. You nailed it.
Negative campaigns generate public interest - rubberneckers looking at a car wreck, we love gore, action, sex, and horror just look at our entertainment!
Public interest generates viewership which begats market share, penetration and advertising dollars.
What ya gonna do about that I wonder?
Where else do you see such venom and rhetoric and twisted half truths as in elections? In "civil" courtrooms of course. Elections are little civil trials played out in public, complete with the vitrol, the lies, the innuendo, assusations etc etc.
Why is it such a long stretch to see that it is the legal industry that is causing such rancor?
PS. To all the honest lawyers, I am not including you in the 'legal industry.'