That's it. For the candidates for Governor, a lifetime of preparation, millions of dollars and endless hours of work boil down to this. The average Georgia voter will hear about 220 seconds of each candidate's position. That's not much time to present detailed proposals. It's really just time to make a first, and maybe a second, impression on the voter. Most voters do not read the paper, watch the news or tune in to the debates. What they learn about the candidates, they see in the commercials. And voters remember negative more than positive. That's why the negative ads are so tempting for candidates, despite the fact that they're a turn-off for voters.
Here, we have a bit more time than 220 seconds, so in addition to posting about whatever is going on day to day next week, beginning tomorrow, I will be posting, issue by issue, why I think Cathy Cox is the best candidate for Governor. She has detailed proposals for everything from education to bio-fuel. While these are all on her website, few people know the details. I intend to talk about her platform and invite others- Taylor supporters, too- to join in the discussion.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Just 220 Seconds
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3 comments:
There is a tendency for the media to make news out of itself, cf McLuhan: "The medium is the message." We see ads becoming "news" because of the constant need of the media for more stuff to present to the public. The fact is that neither Cox nor Taylor has uncovered anything truly destructive or awsomely horrible about the other! The pundits in describing the "attack ads" have been making bombs out of B-B's in my estimation. I too will be glad when the primary is over...On to the issues!
I agree with Tina. The negativity has really been about each one trying to "out Democrat" the other. When the truth is, both candidates have solid records when it comes to supporting most Democratic ideals. We see the Republicans doing this as well. In fact, I think they threw Reagan's "speak no ill of Republicans" spiel out the window and invented this kind of thing.
There are certainly things that the voter needs to be aware of when making a primary decision. Personal and business decisions are certainly fair game. I agree with whoever it was that said earlier on this blog that you have to "fight fire with fire" sometimes. So I understand why the negativity comes out. I just wish so much of the focus wasn't on that aspect - especially in a primary.
But when the topic of this race comes up around even some of my personal friends, they'd rather someone tell them about what direction someone wants to take the state rather than the other stuff being talked about. Most of them are already jaded to "politics and politicians" and just want to know what's in it for them and their issues.
Upcoming debates like the one in Albany on July 12 are going to shift the media's attention away from ads and onto issues and candidates' self-presentation skills.
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