Here is what's causing my BS/fraud detector to sound lately.
"This is the most important election of our lifetime." Of course it is. They all are. In many cases, the off year elections are important than the presidential contests. That's when we elect the "locals." Those are the men and women who control our municipal services, our schools, our taxes, our public safety...
"This election depends on turnout." Of course it does. Every election depends on turnout.
"This is a referendum on..." You think? Every election is a referendum on the incumbent and the party in power.
"Voters want change." Yes. Sometimes. Look at the people we keep sending back to city halls, courthouses, state houses, and Washington every cycle. More often than not, we settle for the status quo. One exception to the "change" thing jumps out. George Bush was elected president in 1988 because people wanted a third Reagan term. Plus, the Democrats nominated a weak candidate who ran a lousy campaign. The "change" thing came back around four years later.
Even presidential "rout" years, like 64, 72, 80, and 84 were fascinating. How big would the margin be? Why was one candidate loved and the other so soundly rejected?
Vote your head. Vote your heart. Pay no attention to those who think they know what they're talking about.
And I should note that commercial radio began in the United States 100 years ago tonight, when KDKA in Pittsburgh broadcast presidential election results. As a story in Sunday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette read, it was the night that Pittsburgh transformed the world.
