Manipulate me

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

By Richard Anderson

So when Democrats want to add a 4 percent surcharge to the taxes of single people who make $150,000 or more a year and married couples who make $200,000 or more a year, it’s an attack on working people, but when they want to expand a federal program that would allow some states to provide free health insurance to families that make up to $80,000 a year, it’s a give-away to the wealthy. I’m a little confused by that.

But, no, actually, I’m not. I recognize it for exactly what it is: politicians – in the case of the former accusation, U.S. Rep. Barbara Cubin in a speech to Wyoming Republicans in Casper last weekend, and, in the case of the latter, all of Wyoming’s Congressional delegation in regards to why they voted against the State Children’s Health Insurance Program bills last month – spinning the facts, manipulating the truth.

Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I surprised? No. That’s what politicians do. And I can almost forgive them. When the heat is on and the issues are complex and important, the shades of grey just get in the way of making a simple yes or no decision. Here’s another example:

Have you heard about how Hillary Clinton’s campaign has been accused of setting up canned questions to be asked by college students in Iowa? The “pundits” on the networks say it just goes to show how manipulative the Democratic frontrunner is. I agree it’s not particularly honest, nor is it very smart, since it seems to have easily made it out into the public, but also can’t help but believe that such manipulation is par for the course, part of the game, pandemic in politics. Was the crime “manipulating” the public? Or was it getting caught?

And how is such manipulation any different from controlling the candidate’s “image,” which seems to be the criterion by which voters judge candidates, rather than anything they actually have to say (or, at least, the criterion candidates believe voters judge them by). What do we call an Ivy League candidate who attempts to pull of some folksy charm while campaigning in the sticks? Some certainly may call that disingenuous and pandering, but others may say he or she is trying to speaking their language.

And anyway, you’ve got to ask yourself how did we get here in the first place? Like the rest of this ugly, awkward middle school dance that is the presidential election cycle, the answer has got to be; “Because on some level it’s what the voting public wants.” We want simplicity. We want to hear what we already know (or think we know). We don’t like being left with a piece of the puzzle that doesn’t fit in anywhere. So go ahead, manipulate us, please, just don’t spoil the illusion by getting caught.

PERMALINK:
Manipulate me | Planet JH News Article: Editorial

Leave a Comment