It’s understandable that fundamentally decent people treat election season with a revulsion normally reserved for war criminals, plague bacilli and Adam Sandler movies.
Much of the disgust owes to the prevalence of television and radio attack ads, generally financed by money coming from well outside the election arenas. Most people grasp that these noxious defecations atop the carpet of our body politic are a symptom of a much larger malady, namely the vast sums of cash that are required of any person seeking to participate in the allegedly level playing field of American-style democracy-for-hire.
Apart from the merrily ringing cash drawers of the media outlets airing them, no one benefits from the process as currently constituted, and yet the fact that it continues unabated must indicate that for a certain segment of the voting public, attack ads remain viable. This probably serves as sufficient proof that the attitude of Americans toward education remains the greatest impediment to social progress and economic self-sufficiency in this nation.
That’s a debate for another day. Let’s glance to the political battlefield of southwestern Indiana for a particularly repugnant example of the attack ad, one certifiably in the arsenal of every threatened extremist Republican, though perhaps not voiced as openly … yet.
After all, it’s probably only a matter of days for us. Consider the subtext of our 9th District congressman Mike Sodrel’s comments, as quoted here by USA Today:
Sodrel, a wealthy trucking company owner, manages to be folksy even while wearing tasseled loafers, aiming barbs at (Baron) Hill and quoting Johann Goethe (the 19th-century German writer). He reminds his listeners that Hill's first vote, should he win, would be to make ‘the lady from San Francisco, Nancy Pelosi,’ the new House speaker. ‘God help us,’ a volunteer calls out.”
If the 9th District race remains in a dead heat, look for "Baron (Hill) of Castro Street" attack ads on behalf of Sodrel, with candidate Hill's face on one side of a split screen, and the bath houses circa 1978 on the other.
But we digress. Back to Indiana's 8th District:
'Dirty Harry' warns voters of gay agenda; Hostettler ad targets Democrats, by Ryan Lenz (Associated Press).
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — An embattled Indiana congressman is invoking Dirty Harry and the Old West in a new campaign warning that a vote for his Democratic opponent could trigger a shift in House leadership and advance a "homosexual agenda."
In the one-minute radio ad, paid for by Friends of Rep. John Hostettler, an announcer impersonating Clint Eastwood says a vote for challenger Brad Ellsworth would be a vote for California Democrat Nancy Pelosi as House speaker.
"Pelosi will then put in motion her radical plan to advance the homosexual agenda, led by Barney Frank, reprimanded by the House after paying for sex with a man who ran a gay brothel out of Congressman Frank's home," the narrator says.
Recall that the well documented incident involving Frank, a self-described “left-handed gay Jew” who has served his Massachusetts congressional district since 1981, actually occurred in 1990. Remember that in another time, the “homosexual agenda” might have been subordinated to “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” or a similar Jewish conspiracy theory. The intent is the same, and it is inexcusable.
Just as rain periodically falls in Death Valley, political campaign ads occasionally transcend the peddling of hate and prejudice that passes for a platform in the tortured minds of people like Rep. Hostettler.
We turn again to the Associated Press:
Actor Michael J. Fox Ad Touts McCaskill.
His body visibly wracked by tremors, actor Michael J. Fox speaks out for Missouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill in a television ad that promotes her support for embryonic stem cell research.
"As you might know I care deeply about stem cell research," says 45-year-old actor, who has struggled with Parkinson's disease for more than a decade. "In Missouri you can elect Claire McCaskill, who shares my hope for cures."
McCaskill has made support for the research a key part of her campaign to unseat Sen. Jim Talent. The Republican incumbent opposes the research as unethical, saying it destroys human embryos.
Alas, and predictably, even the diseased are now to be excluded from the GOP’s intellectual flea circus, presumably because they offended the God of the evangelicals and brought the wrath of Parkinson's upon themselves. The story continues:
… The spot was the subject of widespread discussion on Monday after conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh claimed Fox was "either off his medication or acting" during the ad.
"I think this is exploitative in a way that's unbecoming either Claire McCaskill or Michael J. Fox," Limbaugh said on his syndicated show.
Al Franken is left. And he was right.
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6 comments:
Several things.
I can't think of any candidate who is in a competitive election right now how hasn't traveled the low road. Hill and Sodrel have both run despicable campaigns mostly aimed at trying to paint the other guy as an awful human being, and offering very little insight into policies with the notable exceptions of the barnburner issues of our day, flag burning, gay marriage, and abortion. Iraq, terrorism, and growing poverty don't seem to be major issues at the moment.
Some really horrendous stuff:
The ad running in Tennessee is the most obviously racist ad I've seen in a very long time. Wow. This is the kind of ad, I think, is a great example on how to lose an election. I hope that it backfires in a big way.
But, the most disgusting action of the day was Rush Limbaugh doing an impersonation of Michael J. Fox's Parkinson's disease and claiming it was an 'act' on Fox's part.
I watched the video of this. Limbaugh is gross in what he did.
About a year ago I saw Fox on a TV talk show and was shocked by his obvious physical deterioration. It was and is so sad to see a young talented man so devastated by this disease.
Limbaugh's response was not the low road. This was a pig pen act on his part. But not the pigs. Under the manure, under the mud, and under more manure did Limbaugh crawl out from and pronounce himself to the world for what has to be the most blatently and obviously disgusting gesture by any commentator on anything.
As stated in an earlier post on this blog, I was born and raised in the GOPville of Lawrence County Indiana. Yes I live a Liberal lifestyle and have many different views of life. When it comes to my financial investments this is where me and liberal draw the line. That is my personal business.
That said, the GOP of today is not what it was even ten years ago, let alone, days gone by or as the kids at work call me, "Old School". Yeah whatever.
A true conservative is not one who plays both sides from the middle for personal gain. Nor does that person join the religious right; those have all been dreamed up during the last quarter of the past century.
Many of my family and friends from Lawrence County have seen through what they aligned with to get said leader elected on moral issues, well, all chickens eventually come home to roast and show their true colors. Good article RAB.
I agree with John that the ads are despicable. But it goes both ways. The left has just as many attack ads, inaccuracies and flat out misrepresentations. The continued inflammatory remarks against conservative Christian viewpoints shows an ongoing and increasing intolerance to any idea that seems to have a moral basis.
The two party system is not serving the public well and way too much money is involved from special interest groups on both sides.
To disagree with Mr. Parish, I was born into a strong democratic family and have changed to what I believe represents the best hope for America. This is a conservative viewpoint.
The democratic party is progressing to a socialist mentality where they want everything equal. I believe they are morally bankrupt and have no solid foundation to base their decisions. Their platform and sole purpose seems to be to harm Bush. Not a very strong platform for the future.
Everything and everybody are not equal. Personal responsibility seems to have fallen to the wayside. The idea that everyone is entitled to everything is just plain wrong. It is the beginning of the end if this mentality doesn't change.
"Everything and everybody are not equal."
Tell that to Abe Lincoln.
Doc,
I am becoming more convinced all the time that you don't understand the "left" because you don't WANT to understand.
"The idea that everyone is entitled to everything is just plain wrong. ..."
It is NOT that everybody is entitled to everything, rather, everybody should be entitled to the same opportunity.
I am also damned tired of essentially being accused of being immoral because I am not a Christian. Morality is more about how you act, not how you see someone else act.
HB Your post started fine until you inserted the word "But."
When a person apologizes and they say "I'm sorry, but," they have no longer apologized, they are now trying to justify their behavior.
While you obviously have no need to apologize for Limbaugh's remarks, your "But" probably inadvertantly attempts to justify what he did.
What Rush Limbaugh did was despicable. Simple. It stands alone as an action. My expectation would be that EVERYONE was appalled by his comments and no one, in any way shape or form states or does otherwise.
As a digression, the Right has squandered any moral authority they may have had. One may claim that the Right has been disrespected by the Left and it is true. It is also true that the Right has totally disrepected the Left.
I often hear the Right attempt to define the Left---and they do so quite inaccurately and poorly. They do it as poorly as the Left attempts to define the Right.
I tend to belong to the group that both the Left and the Right claims does not exist. The Center.
I am tired of being told that Moderates don't believe in anything or are wishy washy. We are told by both the Right and the Left that there are two sides to things, the correct side and the wrong side. But two sides.
I deal with ethical and spiritual issues all the time and I have rarely ever seen any issue with two sides. Life is a heck of a lot mor complex.
What disturbs me about this election is what I said. EVERYONE is ugly and no one involved has any moral authority left. Anyone who thinks that they do is deceiving himself/herself. If people cannot respectfully discuss issues, even disagree on issues and still work together for solutions, we are a society that has become totally lost.
And, while I'm at it, I'm really tired of hearing that people just "Hate Bush." I think that he's done a breathtakingly poor job as the President and has squandered good will of many Americans and people around the world. I don't hate him. I greatly dislike how he has chosen to govern. I believe I have that the right to say so in a respectful but firm manner.
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