Desperate measures

When I watch the political commercials of the type currently attacking Mike Hatch, which distort truths and present them as facts, I am offended. These commercials are offensive to many Americans...regardless of political ideology...because those who produce such commercials seem to think we are stupid.

Let's take the very controversial one which targeted Ford and was pulled off the air in Tennessee. Of course, various television commentators had different perspectives about the ad, and some agreed it was racist while others conceded it depicted Ford as the playboy type. But, no matter which way they perceived the commercial, most agreed it was nothing but sleazy and tasteless. How about the one that aired in New Jersey? I found that one...juvenile.

I realize that some of these commercials are not "approved" by individual candidates or their respective political parties. However, politicians are responsible for many of the distorted commercials we see each day. I wonder sometimes -- are these commercials really intended to persuade, amuse, or insult us? Well, they neither persuade nor amuse me.

I think the attack ads currently being used to bash Mike Hatch's record will backfire on Pawlenty...whether Pawlenty endorses those ads, or not. Mike Hatch has a solid record, and he is one of the few public figures who seems genuinely concerned about "ordinary" folks.

I do believe, however, attack ads are fair game if, and only if, a candidate has done something unethical or illegal, and those who raise questions about specific behaviors of that candidate can, in fact, validate their claim with documentation. But, to smear a candidate by omitting inconvenient facts or twisting the truth should be unacceptable not only to us, but to politicians and their parties, as well.

I watched the debate from Florida between Katherine Harris and her opponent (can't think of his name) the other night. Harris' tactics during the debate are a good example of distorting someone's voting record. In the end, she looked pretty foolish.