Make Up Your Own Mind

Instead of focusing on real policy issues that affect us all, the media continually stirs up emotional, irrelevant "battles." The recent "race war" spat being one of them (groan). As the primaries continue, the media will continue feeding us more of the same: adrenaline trigging drama to keep us watching. If I hear one more boxing / fighting analogy in reference to the race, I'm going to clock my TV with a right hook!

But, especially troubling is how the blogosphere eats it up! I've seen countless blogs, comments and statements on all sides feeding this frenzy, including completely irrelevant attacks about semantics and personality. As the stakes are being raised, Obama, Clinton and Edwards supporters are increasingly buying into the media hype and resorting to name calling and advancing distorted views.

Let's all take a deep breath, simmer down and take a look at what really counts, candidate policies. With all the media spin, misinformation, "tit for tat" and punditry, I encourage everyone to visit the candidate's Web sites and read their position papers carefully to make up your own minds.

For instance, since the economy is such an important issue this election, let's take a brief look at the candidate's solutions to restore America's competitiveness, standard of living and equal opportunities.

A lot of our economic ills have to do with unfettered corporate greed. Instead of investing in education, infrastructure and science, corporations focus on short-term gains and retaining their highest level management with obscene compensation packages.

On that front, Edwards has made the most clear distinction about how he would help clear the lobbyist and corporate cobwebs. For instance, here Edwards proposes some real plans for how to begin loosening the grip of corporate corruption on our political process and create a more equitable distribution of wealth.

There needs to be a redistribution of wealth in this country. But, we also need programs and solutions to restore America's competitiveness, economic power, innovation, etc. I'd like to hear more about how Edwards will support and encourage small businesses and increase the competitiveness, social responsibility and equity of big business.

Edwards can do a better job describing his macro economic policies. We need a strong economy, continuing innovation, flourishing small businesses and responsible big business in order to implement all the wonderful social programs Edwards advocates. I'd like to see Edwards expand on his "innovation issue" to include more specific business ideas.

Clinton also presents some in-depth ideas for the middle class and also for increasing America's competitiveness. In addition to quite a few concrete plans for the middle-class and poor, Clinton also focuses on macro economic issues, which will be important to improving our overall economy.

Obama -- who is supposed to have the least concrete experience -- is doing a great job addressing both marco and micro economic issues.

But, both Obma and Clinton are not doing as good a job as Edwards explaining how they will take on corporate exploitation and lobbyists.

So, while you are having fun watching the media spectacle and blog reactions during the Presidential campaign, take some time out to browse the candidate Web sites. We don't need the MSM or pundits any longer to tell us what to think about candidate positions; we can do it ourselves!

After reading the candidate's economic proposals, who do you think will be able to best tackle the economic disaster the Bush administration has left us with?

Comments

[mightbesane]

"There needs to be a redistribution of wealth in this country."

Holy Hannah! That man's a Commenast!

I will lay you odds that you will never hear Edwards - or any serious candidate for national public office in this country, for that matter - seriously utter those words. And they shouldn't.

Redistribution of wealth? And who'll do the redistributing? The government? Right! Redistribution UP. Is it a coincidence that we have an Oil Patch Executive at the same time that we have $100 a barrel oil? A commission with Frick in the chair? Not likely. I don't know Frick and I don't trust him.

If you believe in the Democratic Party, and it sounds as if you do, say "tax fairness" or "level playing field" or something, ANYTHING, except redistribution of wealth.

Liberals are the biggest enemies of liberalism.

[Nutcase]

The chances of voters actually reading the position papers and evaluating them is nil. The Democratic race is pure celebrity, otherwise we would have Edwards leading.

cognito ergo populistae

[Merlin7]

It speaks volumes that not one of the major candidates advocates universal single-payer insurance. Instead each has a little scheme that would perpetuate the industry's stranglehold on health care. Disgusting! And typically American. I'm sure the Dems will be as successful in improving our health care system as they have been in getting us out of Iraq.

[Ides]

Amen. Stop arguing about what you hear on television, bring your A-game, your weblinks, and your research to the table. Be an informed voter.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Um, there's already a redistribution of wealth happening before your very eyes, people are going BROKE. Why? Well, 'cause that's how it's set up. And, ha ha, the gamesters got beat by the gamesters overseas, and birds of a feather flock together, which is why they're bolting for the airports as we speak, personal fortunes in tow. They 'topped out' and got while the getting was good, to various overseas exotic locales, and will perpetuate their rackets and generally live as kings in foreign lands, just with different servants. Meanwhile, the vast majority of Murkinz, or 'consumers', as we're now called, are going to have to figure out how to fix all that fiscal 'bad', and once again repair the broken safeguards on things like the stock market, yee haw globalizat­ionerer...

[tompoe]

One need look no further than a chart of how much profits were pocketed by healthcare firms last year. If those billions were reallocated through a single payer healthcare system, literally every American would receive quality healthcare. Kucinich offers to make that happen. Kucinich points out his promise to return to 2003, and take up the United Nations on their offer to ensure Iraq gets a shot at forming a viable government. In other words, troops out, and support to international cooperation. None of the other candidates acknowledge this option. I made up my mind. Gee, and I didn't rely on the idiotic propaganda being spewed by mainstream media. Good article, Mike.

[3beansalad]

Edwards has both the right strategy and the right resume to break the corporate stranglehold, hands down.

I'm voting with my $$ today and contributing to his campaign, again.

https://www.johnedwards.com/action/contribute/form/

[chouwalker]

Mike, thank you for reminding everyone what elections are supposed to be about. I am sick and tired of useless political reporting that focuses on poll data and negative attacks over policy analysis. The MSM reports on the most unimportant trivia and never even addresses the real policy differences between candidates.

[timm0]

It speaks to credibility, your honor!

SOME people have bought into the hype, but not all. Many people are using these hysterical "stories" to peer into the character of the candidates to learn more about them. As you uncover the real and verifiable facts about who's done what (if anything), there have been some genuinely valuable pieces of contextually sound lessons learned.

Yes, your advice is sound - go see what the candidates are proposing. But the credibility of the candidates to stand behind what they propose is just as important as the proposals themselves. And since the sickening state of the "media" is what it is, and the rovian methods of underhanded attack are what they are, we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we were to completely ignore these conflicts or write them off as meaningless dust devils. For example, are any of the candidates creating these blow-ups? How are they responding to the eruptions?

Maybe we should also look into how the candidates will deal with the FCC in general and the issues of fairness doctrine and "news" accuracy accountability specifically.