Monday, September 13, 2010

POLITICAL ADVERTISING AD NAUSEUM

You must be living under a rock if you haven’t realized that the Mid-term election date is nearing, because our local television airwaves are already flooded with commercials from all the candidates and various special interest groups. It is further obvious that both the Republican and Democrat Parties are equally guilty when it comes to flinging negativity and deceptive half-truths with little or no regard for an honest appraisal of their opponents.

Indiana is experiencing a very competitive campaign for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Senator Evan Byah (D-IN). The Democrat candidate (Brad Ellsworth) has commercials airing that fail to mention the fact that he currently serves as a Democrat Congressman, and he is smearing his Republican opponent (Dan Coats) as one who represents a return to old style Washington politics. The Republican is an ex-Senator who is returning to the fray and thus far is running a rather clean commercial shooting directly at the Obama policy administration of debt/union connections.

The race for the 2nd Congressional District in Indiana is getting down and dirty. The current Congressman (Joe Donnelly) is airing spots that fail to mention his Democrat Party, and gives one the impression that he has never heard of President Obama, Speaker Nancy Pelosi or Leader Harry Reid. Hearing one of his spots you would think he is Mr. Clean and aggressively fights the Democrat Party majority’s big spending.

Donnelly’s negative commercials against his Republican opponent (Jackie Walorski) are totally misleading and overstate her position on numerous issues. He also fails to mention that he has voted 88% of the time for the Obama/Pelosi/Reid legislation.

The Republican is currently a female State Representative and is airing spots that contend she saved the Indiana budget and she alone can lead the District to a bright future. Thus far her spots mislead the voters as to her accomplishments, too.

All the commercials are so totally deceptive and misdirected leaving the voter completely underserved, confused and totally uninformed. No wonder so many people fail to even go to the polls, because I now have the opinion that I do not trust any of them to meet our legislative needs.

The politicians have brought our mistrust and disgust upon themselves. Obviously we need to clean the swamp, but voters must work extra hard to determine who is the best candidate, since the commercials are of little or no benefit in reaching a sound conclusion. We must not permit our concerns to keep us away from the polls. We just have to dig deeper to learn who will meet our best interests for a peaceful and financially sound future.

COMMANDER GRANGER

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