Quote:
Originally posted by cthulu23
There are different gradations of acceptability in politics. All politicians may indulge in "politicking" (obviously), but that doesn't mean that some actions don't stretch the bounds of political acceptability. It's not as simple as "they all do that." Not everyone is willing to break into the offices of a political opponent, for instance.
Furthermore, I don't accept your categorizations of my thinking. According to your statements, I am either:
1. naive
2. partisan
3. hopelessly unrealistic
Isn't there room for one to both acknowledge the failings of our leaders/system yet still strive for a higher standard?
|
First and foremost we are not talking about anything illegal in trying to push people to accomplish tasks prior to the election.
Second, it goes well beyond a case of "they all do that" as it's a case of "they all do that and it doesn't hurt the process". If the increased pressure works, is that not good for the country? If it doesn't, was it somehow wrong? No, I don't think so.
Every political campaign times the launch of every press release for maximum bang. Is this a failing of our system? How do you propose that this be controlled? Should we put a silence period into effect around each party's convention and hold the news till afterwards? Shall we set time limits on how quickly news can be released around conventions(or nearer the election)?
There is already a mechanism to control this behavior and that's our votes. You see a politician (or his campaign) doing something you disagree with and you don't vote for him.