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Opinion

Opinion piece

Political Im-propaganda Exposed...

Barry Lee Coyne

We are at the tail end of a brutal campaign which to many is a gigantic pain. As a former
legislative reporter who has followed public affairs since the 50’s I feel compelled to speak
out about the chronic problems inherent in the political system itself. Both parties are
guilty of ethical malpractice.

1. Verbal Abuse.
TV ads which continuously blast the opponent come across as overt exaggeration. That
creates serious doubt on honesty and trust in its maker.

2. Animosity.
If Candidate A goes on to demean Candidate B, how can that same person claim to later
reach across the partisan aisle? Why would the other party simply turn the other cheek?

3. Crime and Drugs.
Current ads frequently use scare tactics. They paint the rival as responsible when crime
rates go higher. How could one lawmaker, for example, produce enough effective police
officers to reduce crimes? That is beyond them.

4. Bills Passed.
No one Legislator can singularly make a law. It takes a full majority and that’s often biparti-
san. Claiming full credit is pure folly.

5. Fighting Words.
A candidate may well deploy the buzz words “fighting for you” but that fails to prove how
influential a fighter they’ve been up to now. Could we have proof of how they’ve advocat-
ed the cause before running for office?

6. Caring Parent.
That’s just one further case of false prestige. If every parent was automatically qualified to
hold an office our candidate list would therefore be running into the thousands.

7. Group Affiliation.
Simply saying that you belong to this group or that tells us zero about your leadership
roles. We truly need to know how you made a difference.

8. Conciliation.
A legislator is one voice among many. We must also carefully look at their powers of per-

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