We’ve all heard the saying, “Power corrupts and absolute power
corrupts absolutely.” And Abraham Lincoln said something to the effect
that you can tell a person’s true character once they come into power.
It doesn’t seem to make any difference what political party or
religion they claim to follow, the results are the same.
Every few days we receive an approximately 8” X 11” glossy, full
color, political ad full of accusations and derogatory graphics aimed
against an opposing politician. These large, glossy cards must be
expensive to produce. (What a waste of money!)
I have the latest one on my desk as I write this, and I just noticed
that in extremely small print on a vertical edge (You really have to
look hard!) it says that it is paid for by the Republican State
Committee. I’ve also noticed that this year the Republicans are not
identifying themselves “up front” as members of the Republican Party.
The first few cards were from a Republican incumbent seeking
re-election and whose ads, replete with family photos, were geared
toward convincing the public that he was of humble origins and just “one
of them.” Then the ads became nasty innuendos aimed at the opposition.
These ads were so vicious that they aroused my curiosity, and I decided
to find out more about the opposition candidate. The more I found out,
the more I realized that these were all deliberate attempts to smear his
opponent’s reputation, with no basis in fact. So….guess who I’m voting
for 7 November?!
In my opinion, viciousness in campaigning tells us more about the
candidates’ true character than it does about the people that they are
victimizing. We need ethical, compassionate people in government who use
their best judgment to make this world a better place.
It’s important that we check out the qualifications of all
candidates, regardless of party affiliation, and vote for the best
person for the job.
