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At the risk of sounding awfully un-American, I hate elections. It's a good theory but bad in practice--kinda like communism (that's right--I just compared democracy to communism). In today's day of un-educated Americans glue to television, elections aren't about the best possible candidate: the winner simply has the best ad campaign.

I'm appalled and disgusted by the negative tactics employed by politicians. Bad-mouthing and twisting of facts, advertisements never talk about which candidate is the best--only who's worse. It just gets more immoral and worse every year (or maybe it's just 'cause I'm older and more aware). I notice that this year's most popular smear campaign is to emphasize your opponent's allegiance to President Bush. Without a single mention of his beliefs or opinions, Johnny Politician must be a bad guy because he supports the W (which says a lot about your president's current popularity). Like the California State Treasurer has anything to do with our troop overseas.

I swear if I see one more overdramatic television commercial I'm gonna go nuts (okay, maybe I shouldn't swear: I got three weeks until the elections). But they're all the same--gloom and doom. Gloom if this propositions passes; doom if it doesn't. The downfall of society if we put candidate X in office; the universe being sucked into a giant wormhole if we elect candidate Y.

Those tactics make me not wanna vote for either candidate. How can we trust anyone who got to where there are by bad-mouthing their competitors. What ever happened to succeeding based on hard work and skills--not television commercials so awful that make my stomach turn?

Imagine if this approach was taken by the corporate world. Pepsi makes commercials informing the consumer that Coke causes cancer; Budweiser telling us that the CEO of Miller likes to club baby seals. You would think politicians would be held to the same standards of a corporation. No, I would hope we would expect better.

I know I can't be the only one disgusted by these campaign tactics--or maybe I am. Let's face it: people are stupid. Anyone reading this now is probably smarter than 80 per cent of all Americans simply because to possess the ability and desire to read. For the rest of the drones, sitting in front of the television and being told what to think suits them just fine. Those smear tactics are designed for the lowest form of intelligence because there's more of them than me or you. The fate of the country decided by morons.

I wrote an article a few years ago as to why you shouldn't vote unless you're informed (maybe I'll include it in a future iRANT). People today are too lazy or too stupid to get informed, so they let the commercials tell them what to do. I get the lobbyist and understand the politicians: when you only have 30 seconds to make your case, you gotta sensationalize it--more bang for your buck. Don't sell the sizzle or the steak--sell the salmonella in your competitor's kitchen.

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2006