Oct 22 2008
Politics at its Worst
I am confused about something. If a potential employee came to me to interview for a job, I feel certain that he would arrive, resume in hand, with a long and detailed description of all his grand and glorious qualities and a list of all the reasons why I should hire him. He would never even consider the possibility of berating the three other candidates out in the reception area awaiting their turns to impress me with their qualifications.
So, why is it, during political campaigns, I am being beaten down with long lists of what’s wrong with the other guy? Doesn’t candidate X realize that every time he tells me candidate Y is pond-scum he is reinforcing candidate Y’s name in my brain? If the only thing a candidate has going for him is that he’s not as bad as the next guy - well, I might as well just write in my next door neighbor’s name for the office. At least I know some of his good qualities.
I do not want to elect the lesser of two evils. I want to know what benefit there is for me if I vote for one candidate over the other. After fifty + years on this earth, I am smart enough to know that voting for a candidate solely based on his party affiliation is a bad idea. The candidate being elected is basically the front man for an entire political movement that he represents. I need to know what he represents before I can make an intelligent decision.
And, so, Mr. Politician, please don’t waste another breath telling me what’s wrong with Larry, Curly or Moe. I probably already have a good idea. Tell me what you plan to do about it.
