Columnist Bob Bridge
“Exploiting people's emotions of fear, envy and anxiety is not hope, it's not change, it's partisanship. We don't need partisanship. We don't need demagoguery, we need solutions.”
- Paul Ryan
Remember those high school days, when peer pressure was palpable and popularity was paramount?
Since some of the guys in my homeroom recalled our summers of competing in youth sports, I was somewhat of a known quantity. When it came time to choose a class council representative that initial week of high school, a friend nominated me and I garnered sufficient ballots to secure the dubious distinction.
Had I sought the office?
Absolutely not.
Qualifications?
None I can recall.
Political experience?
Nada.
Operational strategy?
If an issue arose I simply polled my classmates and voted accordingly.
Confusingly complex, huh?
Public affairs is a tad more turbulent these days. Oft complicated and controversial, many “citizens” do not seek to delve deeply into the important issues and debate their options and opportunities.
How did we, a supposedly civil society, arrive at this juncture? How did we wander so off track? How hard could it be to pay attention, question the candidates, and elect new leaders?
I’ll toss out a theory to ponder. Contemporary communication has been willfully corrupted beyond recognition.
Facts today are not readily apparent, and disinformation abounds in a climate where people plead for truth.
Potential voters are particularly prone to distortion, distraction and demagoguery. Rather than remaining in the realm of reality, influencers intentionally project - and repeat - simple solutions to problems that clearly demand far more complex contemplation.
Obviously, gullible and uneducated citizens are more susceptible to these tactics. After all, good government demands an intelligent electorate.
H.L. Mencken defined a demagogue as someone who preaches a doctrine he knows to be false to folks he knows to be idiots.
Do not fall for this subterfuge.
Lowering inflation, securing our borders and strengthening the military all are noble quests. But, what deliberate, detailed steps are needed to accomplish these goals?
First, pose the important, inescapable inquiries. Make the candidates face your scrutiny and respond to critical concerns.
Ask about proposed policies and determine what’s been accomplished in the past.
Value merit over meaningless, half-hearted promises. Make certain concrete actions prevail over hollow hype.
Remember, elections render consequences … very critical consequences.
This is not theatre nor a pubescent popularity contest.
Bob Bridge welcomes comments at 812-276-9646 or bbbbbridge@gmail.com.
I just couldn’t get around the fact that we have running for the 2nd highest office in the land, a guy who told his football team that he liked China because construction workers made the same money as doctors and everyone was guaranteed a 30 pound sack of rice each month.
As a matter of fact he made 33 trips to China and admired them so much that he and his wife chose June 4th, the 5th anniversary of the Tinnamen Square massacre……as their wedding date.