Spring Break
The election media frenzy is finally over
Dan Urbanski
Issue date: 11/4/08 Section: Forum
Election Day is finally here, and it's kind of hard not to get excited. Spirits are high as supporters of both sides (sorry Nader fans) vote and then gather in large groups to look at numbers and maps that they have no way of actually affecting. But whether you're an Independent, Republican, or a sane person, I'm sure there's one thing we can all agree on: Thank god the campaigning is over.
If I see another "More Tax Merkley" advertisement, I'm going to cry. It didn't take very long for Oregon's Senate race to go negative, and over the last month, it just got "Flo Rida" (translation: low, low, low, low). The ad I'm thinking of in particular is pro-Gordon Smith and has a clip of his opponent, Jeff Merkley, saying "I advocate for tax hikes every night in living rooms across Oregon…" which is played at least 3 times a day. It'd be fair enough, except the clip doesn't give the rest of the context of the quote and cuts him off mid-sentence with his mouth still open. The first time I saw it I almost laughed out loud because it was so bad and obvious. Regardless of what you actually think about the candidates, I'd like to think most people watching have a little skeptic in their head saying "That doesn't seem like something a politician would say…". Smith's tactics are shockingly low but Merkley's aren't that much better. Rather than bombarding the airwaves with your bickering, why not actually tell us relevant information about how you're qualified and what you'd do differently?
The campaign ads are bad but the main offender in this election circus is definitely the news coverage. The news media is a vital part of our society and is supposed to work as a watchdog to ensure that our government stays in check, but around election time, it just gets caught up in the pure sensationalism. Take last week for instance. While the main news networks were off investigating a plumber, Bush started work on over 90 new federal regulations that he's going to try to enact before he gets kicked out. While I'm just as curious as anyone to know whether Joe the Plumber is going to become a country music star, I think that knowing what a president (one with a lower approval rating than Nixon) is doing with his last few months in office is slightly more important.
If I see another "More Tax Merkley" advertisement, I'm going to cry. It didn't take very long for Oregon's Senate race to go negative, and over the last month, it just got "Flo Rida" (translation: low, low, low, low). The ad I'm thinking of in particular is pro-Gordon Smith and has a clip of his opponent, Jeff Merkley, saying "I advocate for tax hikes every night in living rooms across Oregon…" which is played at least 3 times a day. It'd be fair enough, except the clip doesn't give the rest of the context of the quote and cuts him off mid-sentence with his mouth still open. The first time I saw it I almost laughed out loud because it was so bad and obvious. Regardless of what you actually think about the candidates, I'd like to think most people watching have a little skeptic in their head saying "That doesn't seem like something a politician would say…". Smith's tactics are shockingly low but Merkley's aren't that much better. Rather than bombarding the airwaves with your bickering, why not actually tell us relevant information about how you're qualified and what you'd do differently?
The campaign ads are bad but the main offender in this election circus is definitely the news coverage. The news media is a vital part of our society and is supposed to work as a watchdog to ensure that our government stays in check, but around election time, it just gets caught up in the pure sensationalism. Take last week for instance. While the main news networks were off investigating a plumber, Bush started work on over 90 new federal regulations that he's going to try to enact before he gets kicked out. While I'm just as curious as anyone to know whether Joe the Plumber is going to become a country music star, I think that knowing what a president (one with a lower approval rating than Nixon) is doing with his last few months in office is slightly more important.
Note: writers will not reply to comments.
Be the first to comment on this story
Comments by registered users are approved by default.