With less than two weeks to go until we see one of the most heated and important midterm elections of our lifetime, two things are clear: It’s going to be good and it’s going to get ugly.
In recent weeks, Democrats have been scurrying to hold on to as many seats as possible before the likely Republican takeover. Their desperation, however, has led to some low blows that should not be allowed in political discourse.
One of the most heated races is occurring over the Senate seat in Kentucky between Democrat Jack Conway and Republican Rand Paul. Conway recently released a campaign commercial accusing Paul and other members of a secret society at Baylor University of kidnapping a girl and making her bow down to a god called “Aqua Buddha.” Paul was outraged at the ad and essentially called out Conway at their most recent debate before refusing to shake his hand when the debate ended.
Conway’s attacks are nothing more than a political ploy to distract voters from the fact that he’s a Democrat at an inopportune time – and he knows it. His misleading ads make a mockery of what American political discourse should be.
I have a huge problem with most Democrats who voted for ObamaCare and haven’t taken responsibility for the awful piece of legislation that they so quickly passed. My challenge to Democrats is to man up to their constituents and take credit for their embarrassing conduct in Congress.
In Nevada, voters are faced with a very unique task. Their election is seen as a true referendum on American public opinion of the way things are in Washington. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid faces a tough battle with opponent Sharon Angle in the last few weeks of the election. Reid has been blinded by his celebrity in Washington, to the voters of his state, has lost touch with reality.
In their recent debate, it was clear that Angle and Reid agreed on nothing. Angle won the debate and has enjoyed a rise in the polls with a slight lead over Harry Reid. Nevada voters are fired up about this race and a high turnout is expected. Angle’s debate performance will likely lead her to a victory and one of the worst supporters of the Obama administration will finally be out of Washington.
Christine O’Donnell’s campaign in Delaware seems to be a lost cause. With her national attention for admitting to practicing witchcraft as a teenager and her commercial that opens with her saying “I’m not a witch,” she quickly became the punch line to jokes on Saturday Night Live. The Tea Party should be embarrassed for endorsing such a candidate.
At a statewide level, we can see a clear showing of the uneasiness revolving around the stigma of being a Democrat. Ron Sparks has begun to release attack ads slamming Republican Dr. Robert Bentley with allegations surrounding the candidate’s involvement with the AEA. Sparks’ attacks only make him look bad to voters who have enjoyed a campaign without mudslinging.
Sparks should stop his attack ads and focus on the real issues facing voters, like job creation, Montgomery corruption and solving the state’s economic issues. Sparks will continue to be behind in the polls unless he starts to issue a real plan for what he will do as governor.
Americans are tired of the way things have been. They’re tired of our decline on the global stage, our record deficits, our out-of-control Congress and the political corruption that has gripped Washington for these past two years.
This next week and a half will be an interesting time in the course of the American political system. Both parties have been rallying their voters with rhetoric similar to a war speech. The final fight to control the Congress for the second-half of President Obama’s term is well underway and the Republicans are setting up to be the victors on Nov. 2nd.
Austin Gaddis is a sophomore majoring in public relations and communication studies. His column runs bi-weekly on Fridays.
