Dr. Arthur C. Donart, Ph.D. wrote this essay.
“Would a politician lie to you?” I asked my friends at the Coffee Shop. They said, “Stupid question.” “They’re all a bunch of liars.” I responded, “Then why are you going to vote for them?” That ended the conversation.
I don’t know about you, but I find the negative political ads offensive. Let me explain what I mean, regarding the contest for the Illinois 17th Congressional District seat.
Take the ad run by the Esther Joy King campaign. According to that ad, her opponent, Eric Sorensen, is a close friend of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (implying that would be a bad thing, as compared with being a close friend of Donald J. Trump.) As for Nancy Pelosi, she is not being investigated by the Department of Justice for any criminal activity. Pelosi is quite busy as Speaker of the House, which consists of 434 prima donnas and herself. Eric Sorensen would be lucky if Nancy Pelosi even remembered his name. King’s ad has wasted two trillion dollars of tax payer money. That amount alone would be an incredible feat for a TV Weatherman, who has never held an elected public office. Such an ad assumes we are a bunch of stupid people. Why would we want to vote for King? To prove she is right about us voters?
The Eric Sorensen ad claims Esther Joy King is against abortion rights; it is at least plausible. She has taken more than $400,000 in campaign money from a “Pro-Life Political Action Committee.” It is hard to believe that this Committee would give that much money without knowing where King stands on the issue.
Editor’s note: This October 20-updated Quad-City Times article contrasts the two candidates. It was written by Grace Kinnicutt: “Meet the Illinois 17th District Candidates Eric Sorensen and Esther Joy King.”
Across the Mississippi River, we see the same stupidity in play in the race for Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Incumbent Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks accuses her challenger, Christina Bohannon, of being soft on crime. Virtually every Republican incumbent seeking re-election is making that accusation. What Washington-based political Consultant did they pay, to convince them to use this cookie-cutter recipe, that’s been used time and time again? This is Willy Horton all over again. It is tantamount to saying, “I favor motherhood and apple pie, and my opponent does not.” The “lock ‘em up, and throw away the key” mentality has given our Country the distinction of imprisoning more of our citizens per 100K, than any other Country (including Russia and China), and bankrupting us. Other Countries, like Germany, have found more efficient ways of dealing with their errant citizens. So, when Miller-Meeks calls Professor of Constitutional Law Bohannon “soft on crime,” it doesn’t make any sense. Nor does calling her a Liberal make her a bad person, any more than calling someone a Conservative. Perhaps the focus should be on crime prevention.
Finally, I can’t resist citing incumbent U. S. Senator Chuck Grassley’s negative ads about his opponent, Admiral Mike Franken, a former Republican running to unseat Grassley as a Democrat. Grassley supported former President Trump dutifully; Admiral Franken certainly has a less favorable view of him. We would do well to remember past lies and ask ourselves, “Why should I vote for, or believe, a liar?” One might want to ask Senator Chuck, “Where are the death panels you insisted exist?” Senator Grassley, “By what logic do you believe expanding Medicare to include everyone means the Government is going to pick our doctors?” You were wrong on death panels, so perhaps Admiral Franken is right. It is nice to go to the V. A. Medical Center, get the care and the Prescription drugs I need, and to never see a bill. Admiral Franken has a solution to our health care problem worth looking into. You, Senator Grassley, do not.
I’m tired of the negative political ads. They assume American voters are pretty stupid. Hopefully, on November 8th, American voters will prove them wrong.