What's Really Important We Get What We Deserve
I found it reprehensible that Republican Party leadership and so-called pundits took John Kerry’s recent remarks and decided to interpret them falsely so as to distract and divert their followers once again with nasty and shameful campaigning. It was equally repugnant to find so many of said followers anxiously willing to buy the lie hook, line and sinker. What a morally bereft group to so quickly embrace every lie, spin and distortion of the truth thrown at them, in order simply to win.
So much for that old axiom, “it’s not who wins or loses, but how you play the game.� We’ve always suspected that politicians were adept liars when it suited them, but for the first time we see a party that not only displays a continual predilection towards obvious and blatant deception and secrecy, but also appears proud to do so.
Though I agree that John Kerry seems to suffer all too often from “foot in mouth� disease, having a hard time saying what he means; botching a speech should not make him an open target for people willing to consciously distort that meaning. I don’t fault only Americans who will accept the spin of Republican leadership, but place the most blame on that leadership itself. They are the ones who have set the example of “anything goes� ever since the 2000 Presidential campaign.
This administration has bashed and sleezed every individual, including those within their own administration, who has dared to disagree with them. Go ahead and ask Joseph Wilson, Richard Clarke, Paul O’Neill, John McCain, and Max Cleland, to mention just a few. At the highest level of that leadership, George Bush and Dick Cheney come to mind. Both gave speeches mocking Kerry, accusing him of saying something he didn’t say. They very well knew he was not denigrating the troops, but giving his opinion of the person who “did� not only get us into Iraq, but “stuck� there as well. And shame on John McCain and Hillary Clinton for buying into the same sorry misdirection, for political reasons.
What’s really important is to get dishonesty out of politics, and honesty back into our lives. When we accept mediocrity from our leadership, we bring it into our own little worlds, and become just as responsible for its consequences. George Bernard Shaw once told us, “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.� Let’s, for a change, ensure that we deserve better. Let’s stop being so intellectually lazy, and allowing so many mediocre people posing as our leaders (in all branches of government) to lie and talk down to us as if we are as stupid as they think we are!
As a footnote, I wonder why anyone would make a voting decision based on what they hear in a TV or radio advertisement. Something I learned when I was quite younger, was to never trust an advertisement. It may come as a surprise to some, but people actually lie in ads in order to sell a thing, person or belief; and this increases in intensity as the last minute approaches.
Comments
I was throughly disgusted to hear the twists put on John Kerry's comment and how long they kept it up even after he made it clear what he meant to say. Politics gets worse and worse. Hopefully we get a change Nov. 7, '06
Posted by: Eva Goularte | November 6, 2006 06:06 PM
Eva, I concur with you on that hope. With an "honest" election process I see no way the Republicans can maintain control of the House. And in a sane world, they lose the Senate as well.
Posted by: Stephen Rose | November 6, 2006 06:48 PM
Unfortunately, people DO buy into the commercials, otherwise so much money would not be spent on them. Look at Prop. 86 (or is it Prop. 87?) the one for taxing oil industries for researching alternative energy. If you read the Proposition, it clearly states that oil companies would not be able to recover those taxes through increased pricing, but the anti proposition ads are claiming it would raise gas prices. This particular proposition is failing.
Because people are so gullable, I say...
AL FOR PRESIDENT!
Posted by: Al | November 6, 2006 06:57 PM
Steve, with brevity, it has become WAG THE DOG, AND ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST.
I am glad my vote is in. I was a little surprised to find out that I had to write on a separate place if I WAS VOTING STRAIGHT PARTY AND WHICH....
I couldn't help but wonder where my poor vote ended up..however, I don't vote straight party.
There is so much nonsense, and absence of logic in the last years of this bush ride to the end. Bush has made so many mistatements, and they applaud. He stutters out nonsense and they applaud..perhaps the mentality has become over intoxicated with a madman. With all that is going on, Bush's followers seem to be obsessed pedophiles, and crooks. So, along comes Kerry, he gets agitated, unlike bush he has no speech...and he messes his words.......that kept the republicans enough to play with for days....unfortunately, the soldiers were affected...kerry was saying truth, but the words were poorly stated...
It has nothing to do with our present mentality, nothing to do with Bush and crew thinking we are lemmings, therefore giving us what we deserve..
Like Hitler did not allow anyone of intelligence to live, Bush is a bumbling fool therefore his hand is in his jacket. You know Nap?
What I deserve I cannot get,
but at least I can say that I wrote everyone, questioned everyone even if I knew I would get no answer.
I do not get what I deserve, my sense spiritually and humbly sees too clearly that all this is purely for the wealthy, and demise of anything less.
I guess one statement tells us: Pres Bush 1.........said the other day,'I AM WORRIED WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE DEMOCRATS GET IN, MY SON CAN'T HANDLE IT! That is a statement telling us BUSH WAS GIVEN THE JOB TO PLAY WITH.......NO ONE DESERVES WHAT WE HAVE NOW, NO ONE..............
Posted by: BENITA | November 6, 2006 07:37 PM
Could it be that politics reflect the current zeitgeist? Granted, the Republicans have developed the use of dirty tricks to an art form, but I don't think the politicians are the only ones using the dirty tricks. We see it in business, education, and just about everywhere. You were right on... we need to get honesty back into our lives. It starts with being better and more attentive parents... being really aware of what our kids are doing and calling them to task when they try to take the easy way out... also holding ourselves to a higher standard for their sake.
Regarding your 'footnote' about wondering why people vote based on media input... I say hats off to AARP's new TV ad encouraging our seniors to vote the man, not the image.
Posted by: Deb | November 7, 2006 09:25 AM