There are four crucial weeks left to the American elections, a very long time to test political fortunes. To the Democrats it must feel like the end is so tantalisingly near yet so achingly far away, in view of what is possible for both sides of the race up to then. Already, the Republicans are baring their nasty fangs. Bereft of innovative ideas, deprived of any real leadership and with no obvious solutions to any of the country's pressing problems (goodness knows there are many!), the intreprid Republicans, headed by John MCcain and Sarah Palin, have decided to take leave of their collective senses and get stuck into the mud instead.
The problem with accusing your opponent of anything at all that smacks of smear, slander or simple nastiness, is that two can play the same game. Having been in the line of 'terrorist for friend' fire all weekend, Barack Obama's team is now hitting back with a short documentary about McCain and Keating, an association that would have been better left unearthed in view of what is happening in the current economic meltdown.
According to David PLouffe, Obama's campaign manager:
"At noon Eastern on Monday, October 6th, we're releasing a 13-minute documentary about the scandal called "Keating Economics: John McCain and the Making of a Financial Crisis". it will be available at KeatingEconomics.com, along with background information that every voter should know. The point of the film and the web site is that John McCain still hasn't learned his lesson."
Oh, dear. I am sure the last thing that McCain needs right now is for the public to be reminded of what a hash he helped to make of the economy through deregulation.
When one resorts to smears about others, especially when there is little truth in them, one can expect the following five things to happen:
1. It emphasises how little one knows of the issues and has to resort to negative distractions to divert attention from one's inadequacy and ignorance. One is simply hiding one's unsuitability behind a handy scapegoat.
2. It draws attention to the poverty of one's leadership, especially when leaders are supposed to be statesmanlike, not street fighters hitting below the belt.
3. It loses sight of the important reasons for the election and seeking office: i:e the country and its nation, not the candidates themselves.
4. It demeans the whole office being contended, in this case the presidency if the United States.
5. It tends to unleash the floodgates of retaliatory action.
If the Republicans want to have a hope in hell of winning this election, McCain and Palin need to urgently return to providing the exact reasons why people should vote FOR them, not providing spurious claims why voters should vote AGAINST Obama! People will only listen to smears and nastiness for a little while. Some might be influenced by it but the majority soon work things out for themselves. After that, accusations become rather boring and counter-productive, tending to backfire with a vengeance in the end.
No comments:
Post a Comment