Thursday, April 5, 2012

Living Through Election Year Politics

   

     This blog is a place of sharing thoughts and memories from my rather lengthy accumulation. Sometimes it’s fun stuff; sometimes it’s a bit serious. Generally, it’s whatever tweaks my interest.

Today, this quote caught my attention:

     "I'm confident that the Supreme Court will not take what would be an unprecedented, extraordinary step of overturning a law that was passed by a strong majority of a democratically elected Congress," Obama said on Monday
.     From what I’ve remembered and researched, such an action is not exactly unprecedented. Eight of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs were struck down by the Supreme Court. One was the National Recovery Act (NRA). [1]I remember seeing those stickers in store windows and remember that the provisions in that program were not popular. It was a type of price setting, and wage control that limited competition between businesses. As I remember, there was a penalty for not participating in the program.
     I’m not exactly sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing to be old enough to remember things like that.
     I’ve noticed all of the following appear in political campaigns of past years. The techniques are getting more sophisticated due to studies on what influences and what doesn’t. Just as our buying habits have been studied by marketing firms, political teams are on our trail. We’re the game they hope to capture. Watch for these traps:

1. Distortions                                                4. “Misspoken” excuses
2. Misquotes                                                 5. Lies and Manipulations
3. Statements taken out of context.           6. Gaffes
                         
     Before Election Day we will have seen all of the above. Some are truly unintentional; Some are calculated attempts to influence the voters.
     We may become so tired of all the blather that we close our ears to it all.
     -Or we may become so angry that blood pressure medication is necessary.
     -Or we may be so befuddled we doubt our ability to make the right choices.

     In this political year, we’re watching a game of words and actions Think of it as a game of chess (except a serious game of chess is deathly quiet). Watch the moves. One side’s misstep is a victory for the other side. Watch how things get blown out of proportion. This game may already be tiresome, but it’s terribly important – and remember, the rules of the game include using the six tools listed above.  I hope you enjoy watching the game.

Dannie





[1] Industrial Recovery, Internet