I Wouldn't Trust Him with My Left Shoe!

Campaign attack ads, these days you can't watch 30 minutes of television without seeing half a dozen of them. The grim music, the scary statistics, the hyperbolic warnings; do you really want to promote your candidate by bashing and degrading your opponent?

Apparently the answer to that question is yes. Year after year, election after election, campaign ads appear to be getting more and more mean spirited. Rather than focusing on the issues candidates seem to be more concerned with scaring people out of voting for the other guy. I find it ironic that candidates can keep a straight face as they tout their moral superiority while simultaneously raking their opponents over the coals.

Here in Illinois many candidates are talking about the need for bipartisan cooperation, but the only thing that seems to be bipartisan is their mudslinging. Many of these ads sound so similar it's hard to tell which ads are for what candidate. He's a liar, she's untrustworthy, they're irresponsible, and perhaps the strangest declaration in a campaign ad, "I wouldn't trust him with my left shoe!" With just under two weeks left till Election Day I can only guess that the campaign ads will be amped up in the final stretch, and who knows what kind of ridiculous ads we'll be subjected to.

While Illinois politics does have a bad name we do not have some of the high profile races or hot button issues on our ballot as many other states do. I cannot begin to imagine what kind of absurd ads are airing in those states. But if the disparaging remarks and vilification I hear on the national news are any indication I'm sure it isn't pretty.

I understand that this is how the game of politics is played, but when is enough enough? At some point the vicious attack ads become too much and start to work against them. How can I entrust someone to make important decisions on my behalf when they've been so malicious and disrespectful to their opponent? Maybe if politicians fought as fiercely and passionately for us, their constituents, as they did for themselves our country could start moving in a better, more positive direction.