I don’t have to read campaign ads in the newspapers if I choose not to, and I can toss all the direct-mail solicitations into the trashcan at the post office. I can delete the recorded robocalls from my answering machine, but I can’t avoid all of the yard signs that pollute roadsides during every election cycle.
They may serve a purpose by obscuring the other litter along our roads — who can notice a few plastic bottles in a forest of campaign signs — but they’re visual pollution that makes driving much less enjoyable.
And then, this.
Sheriff candidate Ramone Gilbert borrowed a tactic from the we-buy-gold industry, standing along the road holding up a sign or just waving at motorists — a human yard sign, if you will. You’ve got to give the man credit for being the hardest working candidate, but the “will work for votes” approach doesn’t seem appropriate for a sheriff. It looks kind of desperate.
But, give us another three weeks and all we have to worry about is a presidential campaign that promises to reach new highs in spending and new lows in behavior, kicked off by the absurd spectacles of Democrats and Republicans at convention.
It is my position that political conventions serve only to undermine any credibility that a candidate or political party might seem to still retain. While you might find a speaker or two who seems to be a rational, informed and decent person, the overall effect of any national political convention is to demonstrate just how much both parties are out of touch with reality. It’s like the absurdity of a pep rally before a high school football game between hate-filled rivalries, firing up the troops for a Napoleonic charge into the enemy’s guns.
And what do the conventions accomplish?
In theory, party members use them to nominate their candidates. The reality is, the nominations are a done deal. The only excitement is the selection of the vice presidential candidate. Assuming Joe Biden stays with Obama, the only newsworthy event between the two conventions will be the selection of Romney’s running mate.
I’ll watch the acceptance speeches, but I’ll keep my expectations low.
Always expect the worst and you’ll never be disappointed. That’s a good approach to politics on the national level.
Mark Beardsley is the editor of The Commerce News. He lives in Commerce.
