Apples & Oranges

I heard an attack ad today. A female voice talks about two young men who were killed in 2002 in a Chicago gang war. It went on to say that an Illinois senator voted against expanding the death penalty for urban gang terrorism... "If he's this weak on urban crime, how strong can he be on international terrorism?"

A second ad hasn't been aired yet. It proclaims to tell people "the truth about the secret people in Barack Obama's past." Reverend Wright, Former 60's radical, Bill Ayers, The Tooth Fairy (The Tooth Fairy took part in the Fire Island rebellion of 1969 you know)... take your pick. This ad was created by the Republican Party in North Carolina. John McCain has already denounced this ad. The Republican Party National Chairman, Mike Duncan, has denounced it too. However, the North Carolina Republican Party said that they are going to run the ad anyway because "people need to know."

Next week, Obama is going to have to apologize and denounce rapper Jay-Z. He brushed some dirt off of his shoulder last week, a reference to the rappers 2004 song of the same name. How absurd is this? We have to apologize for everybody we've ever known... we have to denounce our pastor if he says something considered controversial... we are held accountable for something we might have done in kindergarten if the teacher is still alive and talks to the tabloids! At this rate, who could seriously run for any office, at anytime? Everybody has done something and if they say they haven't, they are most likely lying and who wants a liar?

People say that they hate "negative campaigning"... they say that they want to move past that and focus on the issues. But, the truth is, negative campaigning works. It worked for the Republicans and they are masters of it. It worked for Hillary Clinton... she just mimicked them with a little "Republican lite" or "Diet Republican" campaigning. It just works. People say they don't want to hear it but, it's like passing a bad car accident on the highway... you don't want to watch but, you just have to look.

I've said it before and I'll say it again...we've got to focus on the issues. I don't care what somebody's pastor said... I don't care who's husband had an affair with an intern... and I don't care who had a conversation with an old radical. It's not important and I don't care who wants to make me think that it is. None of that will lower my gas prices, bring the troops home from Iraq, or keep me from losing my home! The reason why these people are fashioning these ads is because their candidate doesn't have an answer and doesn't have a clue as to how to solve these problems. So, instead of focusing on the issues, they want you to focus on some nonsense out of someone's past.

Just once I'd like to ask a reporter, "Well, you got divorced two years ago. How does that effect your ability to forecast the weather? Do you find yourself liking the rainy days a little more?" Guess what? That question would not be answered. Why? Because it's foolish. Yet, we want to bring this foolishness into a serious debate about important issues. It's like mixing apples & oranges... one doesn't have much to do with the other.