[Vision2020] politics

[debismith at moscow.com]

This was sent to me by my friend Beth Miller. With her permission, I'm forwarding it to the V.
Debi Robinson-Smith


Politics? 

I just had the most amazing experience.  I hung up on President Bush. 

The phone rang and there was dead air on the line - with that odd
quality that means that some sort of connection is being made
somewhere down the phone lines.  "Recorded message", I thought. 
There's been a lot of those lately.

The recording started.  "This is President Bush", it said.  "In
this....".  I hung up. 

Yes, I know that it's not officially rude to hang up on political ad
recordings.  I do it all the time.  There's nothing that a recorded ad
(paid for by somebody and by definition partisan) can tell me that I
can't find out in a much more complete and balanced way thru news
coverage or research from several opposing sources.  But this was the
President.  Shouldn't that be a little different?

Maybe that's the problem.  It wasn't different.  The words of
President Bush have become (in my mind - you may not agree) synonymous
with paid political advertising.  This is awful.  The leader of my
country  should not affect me this way.  

I don't want to go off on a political screed.  Platforms and politics
are not the issue here.  Mostly I wonder about more personal things. 
How come he didn't say "Hello"?  That's the accepted norm for phone
calls.  And why did he refer to himself as "President Bush"?  Does he
think of himself that way?  I don't think of myself as "Fiscal
Specialist Beth".    And does he truely believe that his canned
support for issues and politicians will outweigh my own decision
making process?  Somebody must believe that, or they wouldn't have
spent the money to produce and deliver the recorded call. 

Maybe I'm weird.  I listen to some of these demonizing ads on the
radio (where I don't have the option to hang up).  The demonizer
recites a litany of things the awful demon opponent supports...
sounding more offended and upset with every word.  This being Idaho,
and me not being a Republican, I usually nod my head with every item. 
"Yup.  Good.  I think so, too.  Sounds reasonable to me."  I'm sure
that's not the intended result of these ads.

I'm also sure that nobody intended to make me decide to hang up on the
President, but it happened.  

One of these days someone will run for office on the platform of  "The
incumbent has good intentions and some reasonable ideas.  The
incumbent has had an opportunity to try them out.  Are you happy with
the results?  I have good ideas and good intentions too, but they're
different.  Would you like to see if that makes a difference in your
life?"  I'd vote for that politician in a New York Minute.  

------- End of forwarded message -------