With election day in November arriving possibly before the end of the World Series, BSN talked about significant political developments, from Obama's tough new attacks on the GOP to tough new negative ads (hear highlights version of program below).
*Gaps and Ads. Since what counts in mid-term elections especially are not polls but who shows up at the polls, President Obama was no-more-Mr. Nice-Guy when he blistered the GOP on campuses and in backyards to shrink the "Enthusiasm Gap."
Can it work? Did it work? The women agreed that it could help reduce that much-discussed "gap" but were still skeptical: Arianna cited the deeper problem of 44 supposedly not delivering enough to the middle-class and Mary worried that his "Dean"-like tone (she said it three times) could turn-off voters and make it harder to co-govern with a more powerful GOP later.
As early voting begins and voters pay more attention, a wave of negative ads are hitting shore. Is there a political Gresham's Law when nasty spots drive out positive ones, especially in a year of angry voters? After listening to several, Arianna lamented that candidates resort to them while Mary clarified when they succeed and when they flop. Said campaign pro Matalin, the impact turns on whether they're true, relevant and fill an information vacuum. And we discussed a Slate article that showed how often the word McCain elicited the word "senile" and Obama the word "Muslim" in voters' minds in 2008, though neither was either.
*Brown-Whitman. The first debates took place this week in a classic contest between a veteran Democrat in a change year versus a novice billionaire businesswoman. Mary and Arianna agreed that each candidate had assets, Brown being interesting and experienced and Whitman having, well, actual assets somewhere between Michael Huffington and Michael Bloomberg. How Whitman handles the real problem of being tough on illegal immigration while employing one could determine the outcome. Did she know? And when? Her enormous self-financing makes a GOP victory possible though uphill in a state that went for Obama by 24 points.
*Trend-lines. More people over 55 are unemployed and for longer -- what happens if they never work again? Mary recounts her own family's history when the steel mill shut and Arianna tells of a family friend going through this agony. As for the opposite age bracket, what do we do about kids who read less as their use of new technology grows? Again, the key is reading to your kids to create a love of learning.
*Obama's Religion. Both agreed that it was a good thing for Obama to speak candidly about his Christianity and his faith in Christ, but they thoughtfully had different interpretations of what Christ meant.
Mark Green is the creator and host of Both Sides Now, powered by CommonCause.org.
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