I really do. I'm in a position where I have to decide who is lying the least, and who actually *thinks* they can do what they are promising to do. Who's the greater scum ball? Who's saying what you want to hear? Who actually thinks that they can deliver on their vague promises? Where are all the stand-up candidates?
At the end of the day, I have to vote for the least scummy SOB that I see on the pulpit, without every actually seeing who these guys are, as they hide themselves so adeptly with half-truths or quarter-truths and not-quite lies, and obfuscate the issues through misdirection by casting foul aspersions at the other candidates.
The mud-slinging is also troublesome. It seems to me that candidates' camps sling their mud because they don't have anything positive to say about themselves. Can you see the meetings?
"It's time to make a commercial, Mr. Candidate. Let's take a look at your record and come up with reasons that the American public should vote for you."
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...
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"Ok, let's look at the records of your co-runners and see what sort of crap we can sling at them. We'll look better because they'll look worse."
And then there's the statements that sound great, but if you think about them, you know that the candidate can't deliver. "First thing I'll do when I get to Washington is reduce taxes and fix the healthcare system." Sure. Reduce taxes for whom? The healthcare system won't get fixed because the people fixing it are the people making money on the current system. The people who are allegedly trying to fix Social Security have no incentive to fix the system, since it doesn't impact them...they are going to get paid for the rest of their lives, so what do they care?
The president can't just up and change things, because of our system of checks and balances, which works great on paper, but you season it with special interest, greed, and power hungry louts, and nothing ever really gets done going forward. They know this, but they keep telling us what they will do when they get there, even though they know that they can't just up and do those things.
Knowing this, they then go on to the mud-slinging.
Friggin' politics. All you can do is hate one guy less than all the others. pbpbpt.
About Me
- SarcasticTestGuy
- I'm a life-long New Englander, father of 4 challenging kids (I know: I'm supposed to say "wonderful", but while that'd be true, technically speaking, it'd also be misleading), and fortunate husband to my favorite wife of more than 20 years. I've got over 20 years experience breaking things as a test engineer, quality engineer, reliability engineer, and most recently (and most enjoyably) a Product Safety / EMC Compliance Engineer. In the photo, I'm on the left.
It's no different on this side of the border.
ReplyDeleteBoy did you call it! Good job!
ReplyDeleteAnd here we had a prime minister who said that there were 'core promises' and non core promises, when he failed to deliver on a number of the promises he made which got him elected.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't matter who you vote for, you get a politician. That said, my voting pattern is fairly fixed, but I can see a load of crap on both sides. Sigh.
The only thing I know about politics is that I know nothing about politics.
ReplyDeleteAnd that's the way it goes, and goes, and goes.
ReplyDeleteYes, what Delores said (being in Ontario). It's a shame because often the best candidates aren't the best speakers/schmoozers, and that's all people seem to judge by. That and hair cuts.
ReplyDeleteVery well put, kind sir!
My issue is with election season itself. I never though I'd miss Billie Mays yelling in my ear, but even that is Mozart compared to listening to politicians lobby during commercial breaks. During the last presidential election I counted 12...TWELVE...political ads in a row. I'm going to stock up on good books for the next twelve months.
ReplyDelete"Core promises"?? /sigh
ReplyDeleteI wonder if politicians know what scummy people they are.
I need a hair cut...