2008 Woodie Awards
Election 2008: Forget the 'flip-flops'
Voters should focus on the real issues
Angelo Carosio
Issue: 7/14/08 Section: Opinion
It's an exciting time to be a new voter. The record-breaking primary season for the 2008 Democratic Party nomination was one of the first where every vote in every state had an impact, and the epic fight between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama will go down in history as one of the hardest fought and closest primary battles in quite a long time, one between two candidates many people found it hard to choose between.
As Obama and John McCain move in to the general election campaign and put all the events and scandals that occurred during the course of the primaries behind them, the best thing that could happen for this country is to have a clean, issue-driven election. We need to move beyond Rev. Jeremiah Wright, beyond using our nation's fear of terrorism as a way to get votes and beyond pointless bickering over things like wearing flag pins or changing stances on an issue. This country needs both of the candidates to stick to their promises of straight talk and avoidance of smear tactics and distractions--this will greatly benefit both of the candidates, as well as our country. McCain refers to his campaign on a regular basis as "the straight talk express." Obama often makes calls for a "new kind of politics," promising he will run a clean campaign and refrain from smearing his opponents and distracting voters from real issues. In his appearance on "The Colbert Report," Obama went as far as having Colbert put "political distractions" on notice, adding the phrase to a prop sign of things he dislikes, joining such items as "bears," and "John Stewart." Despite these promises, unfortunately, both candidates have done their share of distracting and smearing in the first month of the general election. Obama made news when he attacked McCain for "flip-flopping" on the offshore drilling policy, an issue that could easily deserve to be re-evaluated given the current energy crisis. Instead of allowing McCain to explain why he changed his mind and now supports drilling in Alaska, the largest issue wasn't the policy itself, but the fact that McCain changed his mind about it--a clear distraction that has nothing to do with the important issues. A few weeks ago McCain also broke his promises for straight talk by using terrorism to attack Obama indirectly when he said "I think I know who Hamas [the terrorist group who controls the West Bank and Gaza Strip] wants to be elected president…"
Both candidates seem to be treading on thin ice with their promises to run clean campaigns, and it is to their advantage to stop distracting voters from real issues. A clean campaign will help McCain distance himself from Bush, whose run in 2004 against John Kerry was one of the dirtiest in recent memory. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is at risk of losing the support of all the independents and young people who backed him so fervently in the primaries. These people don't want to be deceived and manipulated; they want to hear about the issues that matter to them and what their candidate is going to do about them.
Between the energy crisis, global warming, Iraq, healthcare and the failing economy, there is no shortage of important issues up for debate in this election year. These are what voters should be basing their opinions on, not whether or not Obama wears a flag pin on his lapel.
As Obama and John McCain move in to the general election campaign and put all the events and scandals that occurred during the course of the primaries behind them, the best thing that could happen for this country is to have a clean, issue-driven election. We need to move beyond Rev. Jeremiah Wright, beyond using our nation's fear of terrorism as a way to get votes and beyond pointless bickering over things like wearing flag pins or changing stances on an issue. This country needs both of the candidates to stick to their promises of straight talk and avoidance of smear tactics and distractions--this will greatly benefit both of the candidates, as well as our country. McCain refers to his campaign on a regular basis as "the straight talk express." Obama often makes calls for a "new kind of politics," promising he will run a clean campaign and refrain from smearing his opponents and distracting voters from real issues. In his appearance on "The Colbert Report," Obama went as far as having Colbert put "political distractions" on notice, adding the phrase to a prop sign of things he dislikes, joining such items as "bears," and "John Stewart." Despite these promises, unfortunately, both candidates have done their share of distracting and smearing in the first month of the general election. Obama made news when he attacked McCain for "flip-flopping" on the offshore drilling policy, an issue that could easily deserve to be re-evaluated given the current energy crisis. Instead of allowing McCain to explain why he changed his mind and now supports drilling in Alaska, the largest issue wasn't the policy itself, but the fact that McCain changed his mind about it--a clear distraction that has nothing to do with the important issues. A few weeks ago McCain also broke his promises for straight talk by using terrorism to attack Obama indirectly when he said "I think I know who Hamas [the terrorist group who controls the West Bank and Gaza Strip] wants to be elected president…"
Both candidates seem to be treading on thin ice with their promises to run clean campaigns, and it is to their advantage to stop distracting voters from real issues. A clean campaign will help McCain distance himself from Bush, whose run in 2004 against John Kerry was one of the dirtiest in recent memory. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is at risk of losing the support of all the independents and young people who backed him so fervently in the primaries. These people don't want to be deceived and manipulated; they want to hear about the issues that matter to them and what their candidate is going to do about them.
Between the energy crisis, global warming, Iraq, healthcare and the failing economy, there is no shortage of important issues up for debate in this election year. These are what voters should be basing their opinions on, not whether or not Obama wears a flag pin on his lapel.
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