The American way

I want to be surprised that the candidates for the American presidency have taken something as important as a national election and turned it into something that more closely resembles a high school student council campaign. Unfortunately, I’m not.

That’s why when I turned on my television last week and listened to John McCain compare Barack Obama to Britney Spears or Paris Hilton, I was hardly stunned. Nor was I taken off-guard when Obama lashed right back (though I’ll admit that I never thought that I would witness Paris Hilton’s own personal attacks.) Mud-slinging in politics is an age-old tradition.

In fact, I don’t even really hold participating in these kinds of ad wars against them — McCain and Obama are going to employ the techniques that will most likely find them a seat in the Oval Office. In fact, I would expect no less from any American running for president. You use the strategy that works – even if that means resorting to name-calling and finger-pointing.

It has become both trite and cliché to suggest that a politician is not upstanding, and it is considered naïve to believe that anyone running for office is not at best a manipulator of words and at worst an outright liar. “Campaign promises” is a term synonymous with “empty dreams.” Yet every time one of these officials will get voted into office with very little controversy. In other words, these types of “dirty” politicians are widely accepted by most Americans as just “the way things are,” dirty politics the expectation not the anomaly when election time rolls around.

It’s become almost endearing to many Americans that more votes have been cast for “American Idol” than have been cast in the national election. We say that’s a sad statistic, but since nothing ever changes, we have more or less accepted it as American tradition at this point.

Even for those who do find their way to the polls, most need only what they see in TV commercials and party affiliation to cast their ballots. As such, John McCain isn’t going to waste his time with lengthy television commercials outlining his plan for Iraq. Instead he’s going to do his best to tell you that Obama is not nearly as good of a candidate as he is.

And this strategy will probably work. Then in four years, everyone will suggest again that we have a nice clean campaign while accepting the fact that this is not a realistic suggestion. Maybe once Americans care enough to vote, dirty election propaganda will stop. Unfortunately, at this point that goal seems like a pipe dream.