Thanks, and VOTE!
Published November 02, 2004
First of all, thank you for reading.
Second, please make sure to VOTE today. Of course vote according to your best judgment and your conscience, but vote.
On a much lower level of importance...the daily gem from the Boston Globe. Joan Vennochi today epitomizes the blind faith of zealous campaign finance reformers as she writes of Senator McCain (emphasis mine):
"He wins accolades as the champion of campaign finance reform even though in the end, the legislation he championed cleared the way for groups like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth to raise unlimited amounts of money to underwrite candidate attack ads. Now that the campaign finance loophole is obvious to all, McCain is pledging to work in the courts and through legislation to regulate these outside advocacy groups."
Why mention just the Swifties when the four largest donors to 527s (such as Soros) all contributed to left-liberal ones? But after 6 straight months of nasty campaigning, is there anyone alive who thinks that our campaign finance reform has elevated the level of political debate in the country? Surprisingly, yes. People like Joan - showing all the faith of the Bolsheviks who built the worker's paradise one prison cell at a time - actually believe that if they can just close the next loophole, then big money will be walled off from our democratic processes.
Quite seriously, if US corporations as a matter of business judgment are willing to spend BILLIONS of dollars every year promoting one brand of watery beer over another, why is it so evil for groups in our country to freely choose to spend one billion dollars to promote their choice in an election that these same starry-eyed reformers proclaim is the most important in decades?
Why do they have so little faith in the wisdom of our electorate?
- Thanks, and VOTE!
- Published: November 02, 2004
- Type:
- Section: Politics
- Writer: Harry Forbes
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- Harry Forbes's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Whose money are these folks spending? Not tax dollars. Soros and his ilk are spending their own. Why is it a good thing for government to tell these people how to spend their own money in expressing their onw opinion (libel excepted, of course)?
oh sorry, shoulda been more explicit there.
i wasn't arguing that the government should do anything about it.
i just find it depressing that so much money is wasted in this media mudfight.
it's ultimately up to the people. this kind of thing will continue as long as people are swayed by this crap.
I am sure the advertisers are smiling all the way to the bank.
I personally don't like it that people spend time watching daytime TV (or that people spend time and money to make lousy programs for it), but that is a case of freedom at work. It is their choice, not mine.
I try not to get depressed about somebody else's personal choice. Today is an especially good day to keep that attitude.
Howard, I am beginning to wonder if you are another 13-year-old passing for 17 Eric Olsen recruited to Blogcritics. Some of the remarks you make are so childish it is hard to believe any adult said them.
Why is it so evil for groups in our country to freely choose to spend one billion dollars to promote their choice. . .?
Because money equals power. Power to influence what the government does by electing those sympathetic to goals that may not be good for the country. And, in a democracy, it is not wealth that is supposed to determine who governs.
One can only hope that people read your blog for amusement, not information or insight.
I am sure that somewhere a person named Howard's ears are burning, but Harry wrote this post
Howard. Hank. Hootenanny. Whatever. My point is that in his zeal to support the rich and powerful, he ignores even elementary knowledge of how a democracy is supposed to work.
I would say democracy works just fine!
and I can't say that all this whining is a surprise either!
One of my company's owners just asked me what's wrong. I said 4 more years of Dumbo. He said, "Well at least it's not Kerry. He wants to take away all our guns. Wants to make it OK to teach that men sucking each other's cocks is good, and do you know how many millions it would've cost the country to guard his 7 mansions?"
Apparently this is the fucking reasoned voice of the people. Hey Shark, How's that militia coming along? Do we get uniforms?
You just said what I was trying to articulate on another thread, Anti. That is the kind of 'thinking' that seems to have decided this election. People like Andy Marsh, who vote their hatred, not their hearts.
Add your comment, speak your mind
(Or ping: http://blogcritics.org/mt/tb/21767)
why is it so evil for groups in our country to freely choose to spend one billion dollars to promote their choice in an election that these same starry-eyed reformers proclaim is the most important in decades?
there would be nothing wrong with spending the money if the promotions actually informed the electorate.
instead, both sides spend their money spewing lies about the other side.