Michael Case

“My worthy opponent ….. Really isn’t so worthy.”

Politicians of yesteryear would usually refer to their political opponents as, “….my worthy opponent” Or “… My esteemed colleague.” Not anymore. When our two Democratic candidates, Obama and Clinton, were battling over first place, they didn’t miss a daily opportunity to wallow in some sort of cynicism directed at their opponent. Republican nominee McCain isn’t above the fray, either. We’ll be listening to this diatribe until November. Don’t get mad, get even…… even if even is nasty, seems to be the motto of contemporary politics.

And, where does it leave us? How do our children feel about current campaigning tactics? How big of a part does the Media play and does it really work for the political hopefuls? According to some pundits, late night TV show hosts get a lot of credit for spreading it like you-know-what and in some cases, creating it.

POLITICAL CYNICISM… Leno, Letterman, O’Brien, et al, compete to see who can become the biggest equal opportunity offender. They attack Dems and Reps with equal blasts. Remember how Jay couldn’t get enough of beating Sen. Larry Craig for his potty pranks? Like the pink Bunny, it went on, and on, and on…ad nausea. Truth can get trashed for comedic purposes….i.e., they loved to jump on former Veep Al Gore after he allegedly said he invented the internet. And, he didn’t actually say that. What he said was, as a member of congress he, “…. took the initiative in creating the internet”. So, not actually a claim of self-invention, just an awkward way to put what he was trying to say.

An unsigned press release came out of the Rep’s public information office exaggerating the invention claim and the laugh-a-minute guys swallowed it hook, line and dot com. They (usually their writers) search for a laugh by reducing politicians to a single dimensional character and hit away at those narrow themes. So, thus we get George W as half-witted, Hillary as an overbearing cold fish and Obama as a bit unpatriotic. Oh, and Mac McCain as ancient.

THE PEN, MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD….?

Have the media become so engrossed in entertainment, soap, weight loss programs and beauty aids that they shrink complex issues…..that they bounce from one issue to another, paying attention to one just long enough for the next equally less important story to come along?

PUBLIC CYNICISM could possibly be tagged, not just to what the media are saying about politics, politicians and daily issues, but how they are saying it. What is the question? Is the media simply giving us “what’s out there”, or do they purvey cynicism?

When a news bite is presented in the future tense, people supposedly not only recall specific facts triggered by the content of the story, but also recall the judgments they made early on. Make sense? Is the watch dog media muzzled? Aren’t we supposed to keep politicians honest? Has the media gone from skepticism over the politicians into a corrosive cynicism that overlooks the basic rule of honesty within news writing and reporting?

NEGATIVE POLITICAL ADVERTISING…

Research has been conducted on the use of negative ads. I really don’t have to go much further to assure you it works. Just watch what happens between Law and Order and Deal or No Deal during this presidential election year?

A particular survey lists a sample of over 350 people. It’s based on the thoughts and feelings people generate in response to campaign advertising. The content of the survey identified two advertising frames (candidate themes and ad hoc issue ads) and two experiments that would separately bring about political cynicism and politician accountability.

The survey said……. participants were more likely to generate cynical comments and hold our country’s leaders accountable for our problems when reading candidate theme advertising than ad hoc issue ads. This indicates, according to these groups’ findings, that this contributes to a political climate of cynicism and could erode the constituency’s trust in government. Really?

Public confidence in Congress and our government has reached new lows. That probably isn’t a bomb-drop, is it? Some pundits and media watchers blame the media for their preoccupation with the game and political strategy rather than social issues and their solutions. Subtle changes in the news story approach can affect consumer responses by kicking in their cynicism when conflicting oriented or strategic frames are used. Studies show that media framing of political news could activate, if not create, cynicism about campaigns and politicians in general. Non-essential news stories have been taking precedence over the more important issues of the day.

WHEEEEEE……….THE PEOPLE

I asked some of our officials and county residents their thoughts on the subject?

JOSEPHINE COUNTY COMMISSIONER DWIGHT ELLIS: “My definition is……cynicism arises when people think you are doing something for selfish reasons. Politically, that would mean making decisions to feather your own nest either financially or to help a friend or group at the expense of others. Political cynicism can result in a complete lack of trust in government and can permeate from top to bottom or bottom to top. City, county or state politicians can get blamed for national issues such as economic downturns, high fuel costs, border issues or court decisions, for example. The way to overcome this lack of trust is to get involved, learn all you can about the issues. Contact your political representatives with your concerns and support those who you trust will uphold those values you hold dear. One thing I learned recently is that the opposite of love isn’t hate. The opposite of love is selfishness and selfishness breeds cynicism.”

GRANTS PASS CITY MANAGER, DAVID FRASHER: “Political cynicism is an interesting one. My opinion is that we, as a nation, were more or less founded out of a need for political reform so we have had a healthy, and up to a point, quite reasonable suspicion of government power from the inception of the United States of America. It’s part of our history and culture.

Having said that, it is possible to be so cynical that nothing government ever does is honest, reasonable or good. It seems to me that government cynicism is greater, in descending order, from the federal, state, county and then municipal level. While local government is generally more trusted than the others, there still seems more cynicism now than there needs to be…….and that has costly impacts on all of us that we may not realize.

The reason for unreasonably high cynicism about government probably varies quite a bit, depending on which level of government you’re looking at? In general, technology and the pace of modern life have challenged us like never before to maintain a sense of community in the places we live….even in our own households. We may have higher expectations and may be more demanding than we have ever been before. Couple these factors with the reality that a generation of adults who began pounding on government in the 1960’s, for many good reasons, may have simply forgotten to stop once reforms were achieved, then passed that tendency along. Government and the media have also been part of the problem.

The more I work in public service the more I realize that if any of us wants to make the world a better place in which to live, on any level, we must first look into the mirror and begin there.. We should endeavor to treat each other well and to be kind, generous and reasonable, whether we are dealing with a neighbor of interacting with government. It all gets back to us. We are the government, and we pay for our actions either way.”

GIL GILBERTSON, JOSEPHINE COUNTY SHERIFF: “Political cynicism can be devastating. It’s my belief that the majority of people are so entwined in their own lives, and associated problems, that they pay little attention to important issues that may have a direct impact on all of us. Being so focused on personal issues ill affords the opportunity of diligent research - simply making it easier to accept what you hear or read as the truth.

Red flags, sirens, bells and whistles, should go off when you hear or read such commentaries. It is certainly prudent to question the motive behind the article or statements.

Often this maneuver is used to divert you from other real or more important issues. It has been used for mean-spirited political assassination. And of course, often it is used to expose the truth.

Why is this tactic so successful? They count on your apathy or reluctance to find out the truth. If you truly care, ask questions and demand the truth. If it’s about a public official, hold them accountable. If it is to sway your opinion about an issue, research all the facts. You become the victim if you make an uninformed decision.”

JOSEPHINE COUNTY COMMISSIONER DAVE TOLER summed it up this way; “…..a small dose of cynicism is a healthy thing. However, good government is the product of the citizenry that understands the importance of supporting and having ownership of their government.”

BILL SCHRAM, MURPHY RESIDENT: “People have an obligation to freely express their views. To have those views taken seriously, that right should be earned by publicly participating in a meaningful way. It’s even better if those views are expressed in an open-minded, factually supported manner.

The biggest problem facing our local, state and national governments is “preaching to the choir”. If even well-intentioned people do not take the time, the effort to listen, engage, and actually share some true “power” with the upcoming generations, in the process, we will have failed in our generations duty to pass on the mantle of informed leadership to those who follow us.”

ME: “I have no idea who authored the bumper sticker, ‘QUESTION AUTHORITY’. But, doesn’t that say a lot about Americans? When King George III levied taxes upon the American Colonists, the aforementioned sticker wasn’t yet printed, so we quelled “Hell No” on back of the Union Jack, dumped tea in Boston Harbor, and the war was on.

Perhaps we, as a country of immigrants and outcasts, push the envelope a bit far nowadays? It could be? But, are “they” telling us the truth?

“Spin” is the buzz word for it. A politician says its red, the opposition guy says it’s white, and its really pink……isn’t it? Do your homework. Take time to delve into the issues, and then make your decision. Besides, you might just find that the SOB one candidate called another was a bit much. Anyway, have a great day…..no matter what they say”.