Saturday, July 26, 2008
RELYING UPON IGNORANCE
It is shameful when a political party must rely on voter ignorance in order to gain or stay in power. Yet we can see this demonstrated at the state and national levels almost every day.
Perhaps it is even more shameful when politicians must rely on appeal to the lower levels of human nature, primal motives, and fear to bolster their cause.
And, it is shameful when politicians must rely upon personal attacks, lies, and distortions about their opponents versus a positive offering of proposals to benefit the people and the nation. While one candidate has recently been attracting crowds of 200,000 in a world looking for hope, the other has shown himself to be a grumpy old man, not in command of fundamental facts, making personal attacks on his younger opponent.
Further, it is shameful when politicians must rely upon the morally and ethically challenged among us to circulate lies and distortions in e-mails, planting suspicions and playing upon fears of the gullible.
It is shameful when candidates rely upon the code 527 exception in the so-called “campaign finance reform act” to allow millionaires to pay to air commercials with lies and distortions about political candidates or issues without accepting responsibility for those.
Oklahoma has two senators who are ridiculed in Washington by peers and by the media. Yet the ideologues and the special interests rely on influencing ignorant voters to keep them there. You can spot these voters by the signs in the yards in poor and moderate neighborhoods.
Does the public image of these two senators really help sell Oklahoma as a good place for business? Do they exemplify the culture, rationality, and persona we want?
The ethically-challenged, tax-dodger leaders of the majority party in the Oklahoma legislature rely constantly on the lack of knowledge and reasoning of the voters. They run their commercials about being “Christian” and having “family values,” and then go right on deceiving the voters as they run government for the benefit of business and themselves.
Most voters are not well informed about government issues. It is not because of any lack of availability of news and information. Too many do not read their newspaper at all, or do not give its contents thoughtful consideration. People are listening to music, watching silly sit-coms, playing mindless games, and otherwise entertaining themselves.
These “Moron-Americans,” as termed by columnist Gene Lyons, then listen to Rush Limbaugh on the car radio and think they have heard the news. My word! Lyons includes under that term the 21% who still think that Bush is doing a good job.
Too many voters are being deceived by the siren songs of the right. Fears of socialism, fears of threats to religion, fears of invasion by terrorists, fears of loss of job to aliens, and fears of persecution of Christians are all used.
Tax cuts for the wealthier among us are made to appear to us as somehow for our own economic benefit. Schools and other services for the poor and middle class are cut, and college tuition rises, but these brain-washed ignorant among us fail to make the connection with tax cuts.
Nationally, the opposition party has been struggling to overcome the images of Obama appearing before crowds of 200,000 in Europe. The whole world longs for something better from us than the Bush years. What else, other than ignorance or personal self-interest, could make us accept the repugnant diatribe that is coming from the opposition?
Thomas Jefferson was right when he said that democracy depends upon an educated citizenry. Perhaps he should have said, “a well-informed citizenry.” Too many of us are uninformed or ill informed. Too many of us, educated or not, fail to think critically.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Perhaps it is even more shameful when politicians must rely on appeal to the lower levels of human nature, primal motives, and fear to bolster their cause.
And, it is shameful when politicians must rely upon personal attacks, lies, and distortions about their opponents versus a positive offering of proposals to benefit the people and the nation. While one candidate has recently been attracting crowds of 200,000 in a world looking for hope, the other has shown himself to be a grumpy old man, not in command of fundamental facts, making personal attacks on his younger opponent.
Further, it is shameful when politicians must rely upon the morally and ethically challenged among us to circulate lies and distortions in e-mails, planting suspicions and playing upon fears of the gullible.
It is shameful when candidates rely upon the code 527 exception in the so-called “campaign finance reform act” to allow millionaires to pay to air commercials with lies and distortions about political candidates or issues without accepting responsibility for those.
Oklahoma has two senators who are ridiculed in Washington by peers and by the media. Yet the ideologues and the special interests rely on influencing ignorant voters to keep them there. You can spot these voters by the signs in the yards in poor and moderate neighborhoods.
Does the public image of these two senators really help sell Oklahoma as a good place for business? Do they exemplify the culture, rationality, and persona we want?
The ethically-challenged, tax-dodger leaders of the majority party in the Oklahoma legislature rely constantly on the lack of knowledge and reasoning of the voters. They run their commercials about being “Christian” and having “family values,” and then go right on deceiving the voters as they run government for the benefit of business and themselves.
Most voters are not well informed about government issues. It is not because of any lack of availability of news and information. Too many do not read their newspaper at all, or do not give its contents thoughtful consideration. People are listening to music, watching silly sit-coms, playing mindless games, and otherwise entertaining themselves.
These “Moron-Americans,” as termed by columnist Gene Lyons, then listen to Rush Limbaugh on the car radio and think they have heard the news. My word! Lyons includes under that term the 21% who still think that Bush is doing a good job.
Too many voters are being deceived by the siren songs of the right. Fears of socialism, fears of threats to religion, fears of invasion by terrorists, fears of loss of job to aliens, and fears of persecution of Christians are all used.
Tax cuts for the wealthier among us are made to appear to us as somehow for our own economic benefit. Schools and other services for the poor and middle class are cut, and college tuition rises, but these brain-washed ignorant among us fail to make the connection with tax cuts.
Nationally, the opposition party has been struggling to overcome the images of Obama appearing before crowds of 200,000 in Europe. The whole world longs for something better from us than the Bush years. What else, other than ignorance or personal self-interest, could make us accept the repugnant diatribe that is coming from the opposition?
Thomas Jefferson was right when he said that democracy depends upon an educated citizenry. Perhaps he should have said, “a well-informed citizenry.” Too many of us are uninformed or ill informed. Too many of us, educated or not, fail to think critically.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Sunday, July 20, 2008
LACK OF ENTHUSIASM
Perhaps it has been the malaise of the recovery period from heart surgery, but the Militant Moderate is lacking in a real spark of enthusiasm for politics these days. Speaking with friends, however, this appears to be a common malady.
Having had more than ample opportunities and time to watch CNN and other channels, exposure to politics seems interminable. Much of that is time spent on trivial matters, such as who said what and who is offended by what triviality.
Maybe some of us were more interested in Hillary than we realized, and now we really don’t have a personal emotional connection. Maybe we are already tiring and becoming political agnostics, believing little of what we see or hear.
It is possible that Obama’s foreign tour will be received with such enthusiasm abroad that our electorate will become re-energized. It will be interesting to see what occurs.
We seem to be cautiously and modestly optimistic about changes which might be wrought in an Obama presidency, but we are not quite sure. On the other hand, the thought of the possibility of four years with John McCain is depressing.
So, we are just not very enthusiastic.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Having had more than ample opportunities and time to watch CNN and other channels, exposure to politics seems interminable. Much of that is time spent on trivial matters, such as who said what and who is offended by what triviality.
Maybe some of us were more interested in Hillary than we realized, and now we really don’t have a personal emotional connection. Maybe we are already tiring and becoming political agnostics, believing little of what we see or hear.
It is possible that Obama’s foreign tour will be received with such enthusiasm abroad that our electorate will become re-energized. It will be interesting to see what occurs.
We seem to be cautiously and modestly optimistic about changes which might be wrought in an Obama presidency, but we are not quite sure. On the other hand, the thought of the possibility of four years with John McCain is depressing.
So, we are just not very enthusiastic.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
