CHAOS AT THE BALLOT:
Demonizing the Opponent, Distracting the Electorate

When do exaggerations take on the shape of outright lies?

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore.) - Can an aggressive politician play the game of "destroy-and-decoy" at the same time? It certainly seems to be the latest sport in this political hunting season.

Take a good look at the airwaves. You probably cannot help it as the barrage of vile negative political propaganda is dished out your way. The clear message is to get you to focus on all the demerits accorded to one's political foe.

Smart voters can see through the smokescreen. We know that when a candidate has little new to offer, the spotlight shifts to one's opponent.

It is time to hurl reckless statements and hope there are enough naive voters to get hooked. Rival-bashing is in fashion!

When do exaggerations take on the shape of outright lies? What is the proper yardstick? Imagine if every campaign statement were subjected to the same rules as perjury in the courtroom.

Maybe the vast majority of candidates could wind up incarcerated. But then, if we had to build some extra prisons to accommodate them, this would only create yet another taxpayer rebellion.

This Election Day, we may have a record number of write-ins wanting to right the system.

Salem-News.com Community Writer Barry Lee Coyne brings to our readers stories from his combined career of journalism and gerontology, and explains that these paths shaped his values. Lee Coyne once worked for The Civil Service Leader in NY State and covered the Legislature. He has also done features on mediation and arbitration, and believes in healthy skepticism. This writer-therapist often views the world as the masks of comedy and tragedy placed upon the scales of justice. For him, optimism inevitably wins. "Lyrical Lee" has traveled to 30 nations aboard and was once a press intern at the UN. His first published article was in The NY Daily News in '59, dealing with the need for integrity in public office.

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: luckycoyne@yahoo.com