Political Boxing

It must be getting close to November because the race to win the hearts and minds of voters is getting tense and the political bantering and posturing is reaching epic levels. For those of us lucky (or unlucky based on your perspective) enough to live in Washington, we are exposed to much more polictal action than the average American. As such, nearly every scandal, political faux pas, misinterpreted quote, ill-timed laugh, ill-conceived statement, or anything else that can make or break a political career is brought to the public forefront more than at any other time during the year.

This year is particularly important for the Democrats in that they are currently riding a high due to the fact that they can say honestly that they have not had control of the White House or in Congress for the past few years and so if the public is dissatisfied with what is going on, it is because of the current leadership. They 'humbly' promote themselves as the preferred alternative and choose to make everyone aware of that fact as well. Thus begins the type of arguements that you would think would be left behind after elementary school. But apparently not. Some of these politicians have gone to the best schools in the country. They have millions of dollars at their disposal and they have staffs that rival many corporations. In spite of all of this, the days leading up to elections often degenerate into recess-time brawls with verbal sparring hitting high gear.

Check out any political ad and you'll see just how much dirt the opposition can pull on their opponents. There will be dark and sinister music, accusations backed by pertinent newspaper articles or citations (not necessarily in the APA style). There will be unflattering images or moments that will make the candidate appear to be a bumbling fool or a liar. And in the end, they will leave the viewer with the impression that to vote for this person would be a mistake and a waste. Five minutes later it seems we see the opponent's ad come up to refute everything the previous ad had to say and tosses the accusations back to the other guy. It becomes like a advertising tennis match.

So much attention is paid to exactly what is being said, how it is being said and why it is being said, that I'm sure high school English teachers and political science teachers are having a field day with their students. The latest round of semantics examination is being done on the phrase, "stay the course." I am no student of English though I like to think I have a fairly decent command of the English language. To me, 'stay the course' means to remain steady and confident in the course of action we're taking. To me it means not to stray or change our direction. Apparently that's not what it means at all. To hear the spin doctors and pundits out there, it means to adapt and change as necessary. So then can't we say we should "ride the course" as opposed to "stay the course?"

I'm not here to support one candidate or the other; nor am I hear to bash any particular party and say that one is better than the other. All I can do is express my opinion and in some ways I think it is the opinion of a lot of people out there and that is to hope that whoever is ultimately chosen for whatever position, they take the position and seek to use it honestly and for the betterment of the country. Politicians for centuries have made empty promises regarding their plans for the first days in office. They have said anything and everything in the hopes of convincing the people of their resolve. Over the last few years the world here has changed. Terrorism is not something that happens in other countries, it's affected us here as well and as such we look to leaders who will instill a sense of security and confidence in us. Unfortunately, when we see leaders acting like children and resorting to name calling it makes me wonder just how safe we can be.