Published: January 29, 2008 04:21 am            

The farce of political primaries

To begin with, I trust my few/many/several/occasional well-educated and well-informed readers will accept the fact that I have taken exception to the process and not to any candidate.

We talk a lot in our house about multitudes of subjects. We have discussed the possibility of life on Mars. We have wondered about campus life being a precursor to the political arena. In addition, yes, we manage to talk local, state, federal, and national politics without serious disagreement.

However, we note what seems to be a major problem with state primaries. Certainly, I am certainly no political junkie for watching and listening and reading. My limited knowledge of political rhetoric suggests the battle for party nomination is more deadly than the race for the presidency.

Increasingly, it seems the battle goes not to the candidates. The hired guns known as spin-doctors provide the necessary skills to denigrate opponents and elevate their employer. Bystanders would be well advised to stay far away from the line of fire.

We have seen significant fallout in both major political parties. Some announced candidates, probably decent and honorable personages, believed they could attract voters. Well, they were unable to attract sufficient supporters and withdrew.

Our federal legislature is in recess for the present... There are enough potential political candidates now serving as elected officials to preclude any effective action in Washington. Perhaps fewer laws mean less spending.

Nightly, TV stations or network programs have breathless comments about who said what about which candidate and who has not responded. Poll results will be quoted endlessly and selectively to show and prove some candidates are up in numbers while others seem to be on a downward slope.

Well-known experts have been known to lose track of which candidate is leading in this poll in that state at the time of broadcast. Sometimes I cannot determine if it is a matter of serious national issues or character assassination.

The media quotes any candidate who makes a vicious attack or a ghastly mistake. No longer do we listen to reasons for supporting any one. We get our kicks by listening to sly innuendos and putdowns uttered by candidates. What is not said is more important than what you hear.

I understand, as do you, that fall elections will take place in 50 states and some territories. Most likely, we will probably elect a candidate from one of two major political parties. In the meantime, we continue to be inundated with rehashed speeches promising everything, delivering little, and perhaps attracting voters.

There are some issues near and dear to my heart. Others I have an interest in and some where I have no feelings one way or the other. People like me, politically unaffiliated, listen to all and decide which one appeals the most.

It seems the same speech delivered by the same candidate also revolts and repulses other voters and pushes them into the welcoming arms of the other political party. Between now and Election Day, we will hear these speeches and statements several times and they will be reworked, massaged, and polished for each audience. Unfortunately, the message remains the same.

Each candidate’s spoken words are constantly recycled through a major review and analysis by experts. As a result, speeches and interviews have been buffed, polished, revised, amended, altered, and reviewed for suspected and unintended potential impact on voters.

The goal is to antagonize no one, lash out at the opposition, draw in the undecided, and present an image that would look good in the Oval Office. Post-election pundits will be able to tell you why a candidate won or lost — after the fact.

My numbers may be questionable although surrounded by reasonable assumptions. National elections, for the most part, include two major parties and an occasional serious independent or two. It is the independent voter, unaffiliated politically, that decides elections.

Anecdotes suggest that each party receives about forty percent of the vote and the other twenty percent wins or loses elections. Effectively the billion dollar campaigns are meant to influence this middle group while enticing refugees from the opposition and keeping the faithful from straying.

There will be claims of dirty politics, quotes taken out of context, and film clips proving or disproving of certain activities. A tsunami of real and unreal smear releases on the Internet will spread like electronic wildfire only to be forwarded (and ignored) by millions of innocents.

Presently, we are in the early stages of a major political campaign. Every candidate is lusting for votes and support at this point. I cannot influence this step.

When dust and dirt has settled and party candidates are facing each other in the political arena, we will have a better view of our choices. At that point, in time, we should listen carefully to every utterance by candidates and campaigns.

Vote and make an intelligent choice. Perhaps your candidate will be elected and then again maybe not. But you did your part...

        

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