VIEW: 18-37: Election 2018 Final Lap

VIEW FROM HERE
By Bob McDowell (Born Neil Carson) Number 18-37
ELECTION 2018 FINAL LAP Week of 2018/09/10
Following the recent 'run-off' election on August 28, we now head
into the final 'home stretch' and it was not 36 hours after the counts were
announced before one of those "dark money" electronic commercials were
showing up to bash one of the Gubanatorial finalists. According to several
reports it was paid for by one of the same 'groups', with a misleading name,
that bashed one Republican candidate in the primary, another in the run-off,
and now the opponent on the Democrat ticket. Talk show, and a few media
'news?' personnel have expressed confusion over the plan of the sponsors.
The main thrust of these different commercials appears to have been,
and continue, that the subject of the attack would do irreparable damage to
the State of Oklahoma, if elected. This fact seems to me to point to the
idea that they may believe these attacks will actually serve to benefit the
subject, especially since the expressed by many of indignation at the style
and content of the presentation. The point being, and certainly not
confirmed, that they might generate a sympathy vote for the Democrat
victim. There seems to me to be some validity to this idea, since the run-
off attackee managed to come out on top. He immediately went public
and claimed to have not ordered it and even initially not known who had,
and to his credit the Democrat opponent has publicly and believably
stated that 'I believe him'. That quick response might very well serve to
his benefit. The statements of the group behind the attacks is the same
one that had attacked him in the primary and run-off.
It would be my hope, and advice to Party officials, that they
would become proactive and issue strong statements against these
'dark money' evildoers and warn the candidates that it would be
appropriate for them to go public with statements against the groups,
or suffer rebuffs from the Party. Of course the higher up leaders of the
Democrat party in Washington seem to strongly approve of these
tactics to the point of using them also. In my opinion Party officials,
for the most part seem intimidated by the rules and maybe are afraid
to see just how far can be gone towards reining in some of the
wrongheaded conduct and tactics.
In any event it is going to be a long, tiring existence for us voters
until the November 6 'general election' is past and the final results
published. We will be inundated with post cards (oversized and some
actually nasty and untrue), electronic and print commercials and
various rallies and meetings to see the candidates in action. In my
own case, Emails go out, but do not arrive, although those coming in,
as well as political ads, show up regularly. Somewhere there is a
program that captures my outbound massages during every election
season, then a few days after the votes are cast just as suddenly all
is normal again.
It would be most nice if everyone would relax and accept that
the USA was founded as a "Nation of Laws" and act in a civilized
manner to each other. In two head-to-head political campaigns in
which I was personally involved as a candidate, 1990 and 1996,
there was none of this 'politics of personal destruction' or vicious
lies, so far as is known. In 1996 the opponent, a two term
incumbent, continued to be friendly throughout and afterwards.
That is the way it should be, that we can be friends and civil to
each other even if we have different opinions on the issues.
It should be noted that there are some in the 'campaign
advisor' business who strongly believe in those negative tactics
and they should be publicly denounced. Also the candidates
stooping to use them should be held accountable by being on
the losing side. If that would happen regularly, perhaps things
would turn around and campaigns become more dignified again.
I want to know what the candidate stands for and intends to act
if elected, not hear her/his lies about the opponent!! Of course,
there are a few who would never be elected if they told the
truth about their intentions.
It is my practice to vote against ANY candidate stooping
to the negative, lying campaign tactics, or even an old time
'whisper campaign' of the same trash. What a candidate
thinks or believes bad about the opponent is of no interest to
me, and it shouldn't be to any right thinking and honest voter!!!
END
Composed August 30, 2018
Robert W. McDowell, Jr. © 2018 841 Lynwood Lane
918-451-1051 Broken Arrow OK 74011-8608
Email: abdmcfpi@localnet.com