Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Stretching the Truth

Find the Article Here.
Factcheck.org; By Justin Bank and Lori Robertson
Published September 11, 2008
Earlier in the year, John McCain said that he feels he is running a "very respectful campaign". He stated that he doesn't feel the campaign is "negative in the slightest" and continued, "We think it’s got a lot of humor in it and we’re having fun and enjoying it. And that is what campaigns are going to be like, that’s what every campaign that I have been involved in…" From what I have seen, this hasn't proven to be completely true. I've seen many commercials that have taken quotes out of context, like this one:



The article I read today explained each accusation made in that commercial. It explained how the quotes were taken far out of context and uses images of Obama when it isn't even his words. The article explains how Obama's vice-presidential candidate, Biden, called Palin "good looking" when he was joking and giving the "obvious differences" between them. Another quote in the commercial is from one of Obama's advisors who said that Palin might have been told to say that Obama had no important legislative accomplishments, but the commercial says that Obama said Palin was just "doing what she was told". They also say that Obama called Palin a liar, but when that quote is put into full context, you realize that he was talking about the "Bridge to Nowhere" and said, "Politicians lying about their records. You don't call that Maverick, you call it more of the same."

This commercial, along with many others, portrays Barack Obama as disrespectful and not good enough to be the president. People watching may believe every word for what it says, without knowing that they were taken out of context to seem much worse. McCain said that he was running a clean and respectful campaign, but even if you Google "McCain Campaign", you can find numerous articles about how his campaign turned negative and dishonorable.

To me, this is a big part of what makes politics interesting. It doesn't always seem fair, but I think there will always be disrespect and lashing out at competitors involved in politics. I think that ads like this show the extreme measures politicians will go to, like dishonestly attacking their opponent, in order to make themselves look better. Of course in an election you would want to make yourself look like the better one, but trying to do this has probably driven honest people to the point of lying their way through. Slamming your opponent will probably always be a tactic for both parties. While this is, and has long-been, a part of politics in both the Republican and Democrat parties, it still makes you wonder about a person's character if they approve false messages like these.
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