10/15/2008

Americans can handle the truth
Commentary by Bob Lassahn

With the presidential race heating up many voters are anxiously awaiting that "Oh boy!" moment. A point in time when it becomes abundantly clear one of the candidates represents their choice and deserves to receive their vote.

There are voters who have already made up their minds. Some of them didn't even know who would be running when their choice was abundantly clear, since strict adherence to party lines would decide for them. Some have written off or support one of the presidential tickets based upon a particular candidate's age, gender, skin color, choice of fashion accessories or perhaps because they do or don't trim their nose hair.

Still others may have based this crucial decision regarding our next commander in chief on the plethora of misinformation contained in those sometimes satirical and oft-times malicious e-mails making the rounds of inboxes everywhere. And of course there is always "because so-and-so said I should."

There are among the undecided those who are trying to make sense of the blame game; the raging debate about who did what and when to bring the country to the point it now finds itself. The back and forth "did too…did not" between Democrats and Republicans incessantly trying to pin absolute and total responsibility for every current problem on one party or the other. I'm almost certain that at some point Thomas Jefferson's name was thrown into the mix as contributing to the present financial crisis. Somewhat appropriate, since he was a founder of the Democratic-Republican Party. Based on the hyphenated name it serves to rightfully pin at least some of the blame on both sides of the aisle.

Televised debates between the candidates should be a productive medium for discerning the differences in what each side has to offer, but they too seem to fall short of the mark in providing that defining moment for potential voters. The audience is often left to an opinion from some media guru about who actually won and to assist in sorting out what they said as opposed to what they really meant by what they said. We all know the talking heads wouldn't slant the information…right?

I am led to believe that the construct of the debates is flawed and they should more closely mirror reality TV. I want a panel of judges drawn from "American Idol" and "Dancing with the Stars," along with one from "America's Got Talent" for good measure. The candidates would compete in specific categories such as foreign policy, domestic policy, economics and other very important areas. Following each category the judges would score them on their performance as regards both substance and delivery.

It's a certainty that the judge from "Dancing with the Stars" would be able to recognize if a candidate tries to "tap dance" around the issues. And if the cantankerous Simon Cowell was a judge one could count on some meaningful commentary, along with an in-depth evaluation as to whether their performance contained a load of bovine compost.

Viewers would then be invited to vote…via phone (call or text to ####)…to declare a winner. According to what I have been seeing the voting audience for reality TV shows far exceeds the number of Americans going to the polling place on Election Day (no age limit or citizenship requirement for voters, plus one can vote both early and often), so fewer are disenfranchised (just think…people in the Middle East could even vote). If nothing else, the results could prove interesting. Additionally, since there is often a charge for each call to cast a vote, the resulting revenue could be used to fund the recently enacted bailout.

The reality TV style of debate just might get some answers, but failing that, it could still provide greater entertainment value for prime time television

While I have made light of the process of selecting our next president, I applaud those who take their responsibility seriously and are trying to weigh the issues. Given the current state of affairs in this country, the choice of who will occupy the White House during the next four years is crucial.  Americans deserve a bit of honesty and some straightforward answers from those who seek this highest office. Unfortunately, straight answers might seem elusive amongst all the campaign rhetoric. The "I'm (insert name here) and I approved this message" television ads aren't exactly a bright spot in getting out solid information either. For some reason many politicians don't realize…Americans can handle the truth…so they shouldn't try to sugar coat the message.

The bottom line for the voter is to keep reading and listening for solid information from trusted sources. Try to understand the issues and avoid snap judgments to accept misinformation that clouds the issues. Realize that someone playing on your emotions or patriotism may be trying to sway your vote for all the wrong reasons.

There is time remaining to become an enlightened voter. Get the facts and above all else, make a commitment to vote your own conscience on November 4.

My personal choice amongst the candidates is unimportant and does not factor into this issue. I won't bore you with it. Moreover, I need to cut this rant short so I can look for that McCain-Palin bumper sticker and put it on my car.