Monday
Jun302008
« Primary campaigns heat up »
Monday, June 30, 2008 at 1:15PM
Not living in District 1, I don't get the mailers from the three candidates in that commission race, but based on an article today in the AJC, but it sounds like things are getting pretty heated. Carol Hassell and Shirley Lasseter are apparently going at it toe to toe with Bruce LeVell observing from the sidelines. As I have blogged previously, I don't see any of these candidates as political superstars, but I have been the most impressed with LeVell when I have seen him in candidate forums. However, I was not crazy to hear that he had sent out a mailer in Korean. Nothing against Korean people, but this is precisely the type of thing I have talked about in English, please! We should do everything legally possible to promote the use of the English language in America rather than empower the use of other languages in the public arena. This does not really change my view that Bruce is the best choice in District 1, but I am disapointed to hear of this campaign tactic.
Speaking of campaign mailers, are those things not incredibly annoying? For over a month now, I have routinely been met with Charles Bannister's smiling countenance when I open the mailbox. Now Lorraine Green, Mike Beaudreau and Doug Stacks are taking up residence in my mailbox as well. I don't really put a lot of credence in political mailers as there is no real depth to the arguments they make because they are mostly spin. They are always going to portray their candidate in a favorable light and often portray opponents in an unfavorable light. I noticed a perfect example of this over the weekend when I received mailers from State Senate District 45 Republican primary challenger, Peggy Armstrong, whose mailer outlined a list of alleged ethical violations by incumbent Renee Unterman. The background was a very unflattering, haggard-looking picture of Unterman. Unterman's mailer, however, touted her efforts to pass a bill that allows Georgians to freeze their credit including a photo of the Senator with WSB radio consumer advocate, Clark Howard. In addition, there was a photo of a fresh, pleasant looking Unterman. I could not help but chuckle at the stark difference in the photos on these two mailers. It's all about the spin.
If you want to really understand the issues in a race, you have to do your homework, read up on the issues from various sources of news and information. If you are getting all your info from the candidates themselves, you are not truly preparing yourself to cast a vote in a particular race. Voting is important and we routinely hear pleas to get out the vote. Participation is encouraged, but I would prefer to see people go to the polls only if they have knowledge of the candidates and their stands on the issues. I can accept someone voting for candidates I oppose much more readily when someone can articulate why they support that candidate. When people vote based on hype or shallow information without really understanding a candidate's positions, in my opinion, they are doing an injustice to the privilege we have to vote for our government leaders. If you want an example, just check consider some of the support Barack Obama is getting right now.
Speaking of campaign mailers, are those things not incredibly annoying? For over a month now, I have routinely been met with Charles Bannister's smiling countenance when I open the mailbox. Now Lorraine Green, Mike Beaudreau and Doug Stacks are taking up residence in my mailbox as well. I don't really put a lot of credence in political mailers as there is no real depth to the arguments they make because they are mostly spin. They are always going to portray their candidate in a favorable light and often portray opponents in an unfavorable light. I noticed a perfect example of this over the weekend when I received mailers from State Senate District 45 Republican primary challenger, Peggy Armstrong, whose mailer outlined a list of alleged ethical violations by incumbent Renee Unterman. The background was a very unflattering, haggard-looking picture of Unterman. Unterman's mailer, however, touted her efforts to pass a bill that allows Georgians to freeze their credit including a photo of the Senator with WSB radio consumer advocate, Clark Howard. In addition, there was a photo of a fresh, pleasant looking Unterman. I could not help but chuckle at the stark difference in the photos on these two mailers. It's all about the spin.
If you want to really understand the issues in a race, you have to do your homework, read up on the issues from various sources of news and information. If you are getting all your info from the candidates themselves, you are not truly preparing yourself to cast a vote in a particular race. Voting is important and we routinely hear pleas to get out the vote. Participation is encouraged, but I would prefer to see people go to the polls only if they have knowledge of the candidates and their stands on the issues. I can accept someone voting for candidates I oppose much more readily when someone can articulate why they support that candidate. When people vote based on hype or shallow information without really understanding a candidate's positions, in my opinion, they are doing an injustice to the privilege we have to vote for our government leaders. If you want an example, just check consider some of the support Barack Obama is getting right now.
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