How can anybody have even a little bit of respect for our political process

[senseinobaka]

Timmah! said:

The Ghost of RubangB said:
It's basically the job of campaigning politicians to exploit stupid idiots who are willfully ignorant. I mean, is it really so wrong to lie to a voter if you're 100% sure the voter will believe everything you say and never look up the facts? If somebody believes Obama is going to raise their taxes, and they don't go to Obama's web site and look at his whole tax plan and see that he's actually going to cut their taxes, then that person is an idiot who wants to be stupid and wants to be lied to, because it makes it easier for them to vote for McCain if they think Obama is the devil. This works both ways. Too many Americans are willfully ignorant, and it's really disgusting.

Now if taxes are the most important issue to that voter, and they don't do their own research, they're an idiot and they shouldn't be voting. But millions of these idiots who vote based on 1 or 2 buzzwords climb out of the woodwork every 4 years and decide our future for us.

It works the same for both sides. I swear, if I hear somebody say McSame one more freaking time...

People on the left buy into stupid catch phrases, platitudes, and empty words just as badly as people on the right, it happens equally on both sides. I actually had a friend tell me he liked Bush because he's fiscally conservative. I LOL'd

 

Catch phrases and slogans are effective because they are comforting and easy to remember. Really campaign managers are just good marketers and talented at brand positioning. Such "lowest common denominator" campaigning pays nice dividends at the polls, so that's never going to change.

@Ghost. The problem with your analogy is that Obama's website doesnt tell you the whole story. He doesnt tell you that people with 200k+ incomes are 99% of the time small business owners. He doesnt tell you what the consequences of raising taxes on the largest block of employers and job creators are. He doesnt tell you that large corporations pay taxes via their pricing structure. He doesnt tell you that raising taxes, or as he puts it "removing tax breaks", on corporations will result in higher prices for all consumers, especially poor and middle class. He doesn't paint a picture of what life would be like if consumer prices go up and unemployment goes up and payroll taxes increase and small businesses fold. SO McCain my be lying by saying Obama wants to raise your taxes, but Obama is omitting the terrible consequences his economic plan will wreak.