The real question here is: Do the presidential candidates really feel that people are swayed by these antics or are voters actually influenced by these antics?Either way, it doesn't speak well for our country. If it's the former, it suggests that our candidates think we're stupid. If it's the latter, we are stupid.
I hoped we were beyond this kind of campaigning. I think millions voted for Dubya because he seemed like the kind of guy they'd be comfortable having a beer with. Many now regret that, having learned that some other qualities that Dubya lacks are more important.
On the other hand, because we live in a society that is awash with advertising, we are image-oriented. We buy products based on the image projected in the ads, not on the basis of thoroughgoing research into their value. Politicians market themselves the way companies market products – via image; lies, half-truths, and exaggerations; claims of superiority over the competition; celebrity endorsement; and so on.
Although it shouldn't be this way, political campaigns aren't that much different from advertising campaigns for, say, the latest models of automobiles. Unfortunately, many Americans give more serious thought to what car they own than to which candidate they vote for.
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Rich Turner (The Curmudgeon Himself)
