Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Election Campaign Ads: Technically True, But Very Misleading

I have been hearing stacks of campaign ads on the radio and seeing lots of flyers in the mail, and I am pretty disgusted.

I am in the 1st Congressional District, so I don't have a strong feeling about the Simpson v. Smith primary race, but Simpson's ads are sounding increasingly desperate, such as telling us that Smith wants to take away your "constitutional right to vote for U.S. Senate!"  I suspect that Smith at some point has argued that popular election of U.S. Senators was a mistake; there were sound reasons why the Constitution originally provided for state legislatures to select them.  Lots of people who have thought about this share this concern.  But phrased the way that it is is terribly misleading.  And ditto for some of the other overwrought statements.  I had no strong feelings about this race (other than Smith is a trial attorney, one strike against him), but the more I hear of Simpson's ads, the more I dislike Simpson.

Chris Troupis is running for Attorney-General in the Republican primary against Wasden.  What little I know of Troupis I like -- but someone keeps sending out attack Wasden pieces that misrepresent what Wasden's office did on Second Amendment rights.  This really disturbs me, because Troupis is a social conservative and rather loud Christian.  (He used to, at least in prior campaigns, shorten his first name from Christopher to Christ instead of Chris.)



2 comments:

  1. Wasden is seeking a sixth termm which strikes me as a bad thing. But I don't much like people who aggressively tout their religious purity; their views should stand on their own.

    And "bearing false witness" violates a Commandment.

    Simpson is seeking a ninth term, which is bad; but trial lawyers are poison, mostly. Also, I don't believe the 17th Amendment has made a big difference one way or another, and those who obsess on it are IMO cranks.

    The thing I would watch for is Democrats sneaking over to nominate a crank. They did that here in Chicago in the 9th CD. It's safe Democrat anyway, but a lot of Dems crossed over to vote in the Republican gubernatorial primary to stop Bruce Rauner. (He's a RINO in bed with Rahm Emanuel, but they both want to bust public employee unions and pensions.) Apparently the word went out, "While you're doing that, vote for this nut and embarass the Republicans.")

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  2. I don't think Smith is a crank. I doubt that the 17th Amendment made a big difference, but it doesn't take much to get a barely balanced rock rolling down hill. I certainly have not heard Smith argue in public to repeal the 17th Amendment -- perhaps a speech he gave somewhere.

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