Quick Observation

Back in 2004 when I was canvassing in Wisconsin for Kerry, I ran across some guy who owned a burrito stand. He exited his house smoking a cigarette and looking either hungover, high, or drunk. As my friend and I discussed the upcoming presidential election, he had a surprising amount of passion. In fact, he was energized around stem cell research. To paraphrase him: I'm gonna need them to give me a new lung and liver some day. The surprising thing was what happened next. He mentioned maybe supporting Bush because at the most recent debate Bush indicated he would use stem cell research. Even though we explained this meant the very limited cells that existed in a very defined capacity, he was already convinced. There was no difference between Bush and Kerry on stem cells so he was going to move onto the issues that affected his small business.

I bring up this to illustrate a point. With the constant flip flopping of McCain, it really does appear to be a standard strategy of the Republicans. Obscure the real views since they are unpopular so everything comes down to the tax and spend liberal vs the selfless tax cutter. As long as the media does not (1) call out the Republican or (2) explain where those tax cuts and increases are directed, the strategy works wonderfully. It just perpetuates the myth of the financially responsible tax cutting Republican eliminating government waste vs the damn tax raising liberal trying to give handouts to his government cronies. If the consequences of this myth had not been so tragic over these many years, you could almost come to admire it.

Tags:

politics media bias liberal conservative Democrat Republican McCain Obama stem cell research