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Authors, sign in!This is the question Eboo Patel asks at the end of his recent blog post at the Washington Post. His is an interesting observation -- and one that I've been trying to wrap my head around for the past few months. We have two campaigns battling it out for the prized White House right now -- both of whom, when asked directly, would (I'd suppose) indicate a preference for civility and dialogue. But look at what we have, instead.
There are hate-filled commercials spinning through the air all over the country. The commercials aren't just national. The Dole campaign has reached a new depth of desperation in painting Kay Hagan as godless in not one, but two TV commercials -- despite repeated requests to pull the ads, and even a lawsuit by Hagan. Now, I don't at all believe that one needs to be Christian, or any other faith, to hold office. But when you mess with audio to make it sound like a Presbyterian Sunday School teacher is a godless American (replete with sinister hints), that's no way to run a campaign.
What are we teaching young people about what politics is all about? Are we creating a generation of "Mean Girls"-type politicians who will create an online or on-air slam book of their opponent? Are the smartest, most enthusiastic, most compassionate of them (and of us) going to decide that they're just not mean enough for politics?
Published November 2, 2008 by Carter Maddox |
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