I can’t wait for Election Day to be behind us!
I’m a middle-aged, white, professional, suburbanite male who votes in every election. As I age I care more about politics, but I’m by no means an expert or a pundit. I just care and I want to believe my vote really counts.
My home state Louisiana is well-known for colorful and often corrupt politicians. Mudslinging 101 is probably a real course at LSU. For 22 years I have lived in Maryland, home state of Spiro Agnew. I can’t escape bad politics.
So it should come as no surprise that I’m sick of the political ads. There are countless places with close races and mudslinging candidates, but the TV stations in my area are running commercials for some of the most contentious races. Viewers learn nothing about any candidate by watching his or her commercials because each candidate spends all of their air time bashing their opponent.
If I see a commercial with Virginia Senator George Allen’s face I assume it’s a spot for his opponent James Webb. Ben Cardin, U.S. Representative from Maryland and candidate for U.S. Senate, gets more face time in Michael Steele commercials than in his own. These two were sitting next to each other on Meet The Press this week. Like a NASCAR fan hoping to see a crash, I watched several minutes of the interview hoping one would punch the other.
If President Bush’s face is in a commercial, I assume the candidate is a Democrat trying to position a Republican as W’s puppet. What a difference four years makes.
I just want to know what each candidate believes in and how they think they can make the country and my state better places. All I hear is why each candidate’s opponent isn’t right for the job.
And it gets worse. I frequently vote on party lines because the candidates in my political party often believe the same way I do. But I don’t like any of the candidates this time around. My issues on a national level are Iraq, Social Security, health care and reducing the budget deficit. On a state level, transportation and the environment are at the top of my agenda. Most candidates I have to choose from do not have solid records on any of these issues and most of the “facts” about each come from their opponents. What’s a voter to do?
Has it always been this way? Or do Boomers just care more now than in the past? Weren’t we the activists of the 60s and 70s? Didn’t we change the world for the better? Both major party candidates for Maryland Governor and one of the Senate candidates are boomers, but all three seem more like politicians from the past.
If it’s this bad now, what will it be like in 2008?
A Little Ditty
3 weeks ago
2 comments:
It will be ugly...very ugly. The biggest reason why is that it will be a free-for-all, since there will be no incumbent in the White House. It's my understanding Cheney (read: Stooge) is not going to seek the Presidency, which suits me just fine.
I suspect the 2008 candidates will go far beyond slinging mud, instead reaching into deeper, filthier reserves of muck.
Ian
Agree completely on that one. I think Cheney is unelectable anyway. There will be just enough Bush backlash that anyone closely associated with him will have to sit it out till 2012.
Digging for dirt, mud and muck has become an art form and few candidates are so clean that they can avoid something from their past that the other side won't make into an issue.
I think one botched joke has just killed any chance Kerry had for '08. Gore is still too boring, Hillary is still too "hated" by the far right for daring to have an opinion; don't know about Obama yet.
On the Repub side, McCain might not be charismatic/telegenic enough, Rudy probably won't run, Va. Senator George Allen is iffy after this campaign and Rice will still be too close to Bush.
Every one I've named can sling it with the best of 'em, but if any of them are candidates, I'll be as frustrated with the choices then as I am now.
But, hey - at least we still have choices.
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