HOME | POLITICS | SPORTS | LIFE | SCI/TECH | OPEDS | HELPFUL TIPS
|
Sept. 25, 2004 Ah, the joys of political bashing! Politicians and their staffs must be up all night pondering the many ways they can trash their “other party” counterparts during this election year. They are busy finding out how many ways there are to downplay, degrade, and denigrate their opponent. It never stops. Everything they ever did in their life is twisted and turned to make them look as unfit for office as they can possibly be. Every truth is set up as a horror story of epic proportions. In past campaigns they’ve brought up real and alleged drug use. Clinton smoked pot (but didn't inhale), G.W. Bush allegedly used heroin; he won't confirm or deny it, and had a “problem with drinking.” Bill Bradley, Rhodes Scholar, splendid athlete, sportsman, and all-around good guy, came out and said, in the words of one columnist, “that he did indeed smoke the weed.” Everyone was eager to show that their opponent had had a substance problem or at least had sampled some of the hoo-ha. That was the type of bashing that occurred a few years ago, trying to present the “other guy” as someone who had done something illegal or morally reprehensible. This time around the bashing takes aim at one’s military record or lack thereof. The Bush contingent made suggestions that John Kerry wasn’t the Vietnam War hero the Democrats made him out to be. That he had essentially “manufactured” (they didn’t come right out and say he lied, of course) his heroism. It got pretty vicious when a “group of vets” started to dissect Kerry’s record in strategically placed TV ads. When the ads appeared the Bush people declared their innocence of any involvement in them. Hmmm. Then it was the Kerry camp’s turn to attack, and attack they did. They let it be known that perhaps George W. had “exaggerated” his participation in the Texas National Guard and that he had used the privilege of his family to obtain a deferment to keep from going to Vietnam. Even Dan Rather, a newsman of considerable clout, got swept up in the story and ended up apologizing to the public for reporting half-truths and outright lies. I guess he somehow forgot the first rule of Journalism 101 which stresses checking all sources and information for truth. Kerry’s people swore they had nothing to do with Mr. Rather’s faux pas. Hmmm. Personally I don't care what they did or didn’t do. I really don't. Kerry was in Vietnam. If, over the years, his description of his acts of heroism somehow didn’t match those of others who were there with him, big deal. Everyone remembers events subjectively. Bush was in the National Guard and didn’t go to war. If he took advantage of his family’s wealth and influence to get deferred, so what. A lot of men did other things to get out of going to Vietnam. I want to say that I wasn't perfect when I was younger, who was? And I’m certainly not holier- than-thou. And....and here's the big AND, I really don't care what other people did either. I don't think they should have to be afraid of people nit-picking their “past lives.” Unless they seriously injured someone else or caused great pain and suffering, I believe their past is their past and their own damned business. I imagine political advisors sitting around saying to candidates: "Listen, if you did get a buzz from the yellow marker you used to highlight your college notebooks, yes we know you didn't didn't deliberately sniff it, but perhaps you'd better call a press conference and tell all before your arch rival outs you. Hey!! Wait a minute. Let's see if we can find out some dirt on him!! Didn’t he get deferred during Vietnam? So what if he was legally blind! Let’s see how we can spin this story to our benefit!” “And, hey, that other candidate, that former nurse who was in Vietnam. Rumor has it that she carried twenty wounded soldiers to safety through the jungle. What? It was only nineteen? What a liar she is! Let’s give this one to the vets!” I, however, am not interested in anyone's past, I am interested in what they do now and can do in the future. Are they able to get the job done, and done well? Fine. That should be all that matters. We Americans are unique in the regard that we want our leaders and candidates squeaky-clean and free from even the merest taint of past scandal. And we seem to welcome, with relish, the whistle-blowers who feel it is their "sacred" duty to tell us when these leaders and candidates don't live up to lofty ideals. You know who these people are. They appear on network T.V. with sad, but determined, faces doing their moral duty. It's not like they want to do this, you understand, but it is a necessary job. They are keeping us informed. Europeans are different. They basically accept their leaders are just as imperfect as the rest of humanity. They vote for them on the basis of their expertise, ignore their personal lives, and hope for the best. I will leave you with one statement. There once was a man who sought the highest political office in his country. There were no embarrassing disclosures about drinking, drugs, or dereliction of duty from his past. Most historians believe he most likely never used drugs and that he only drank socially. He was loyal to one woman, loved dogs, and had a deep affection for the children of his friends. He was elected to office partly on the basis of his passionate speeches stressing love of country and national pride. He promised to improve the horrible economy, create jobs, and to make his country the strongest nation in the world. This “clean-living” individual became the leader of his country, living up to his promise of creating jobs and leading his country in time of war. Does he sound like the type of person the moralists among us would want to lead our nation? I don't think so. Why not? Because this upstanding person went by the name of Adolf Hitler and he was the devil incarnate. Enough said? ------------ About the author Kristen Houghton: Working on a book of short stories, I write a column, "The Writer's Block" on observations of everyday life and a column for educators called iTeach! Email: Krisnalan@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
||||||
|
|
|||||||
|
