paling around with terrorists; etc. two constitutions

[Steven Jamar]

I think commenting on a candidate's associates is within bounds,  
howsoever tenuous the connection or relevance is in terms of what it  
really shows about a person's character.

I also think it appropriate to report on those fearful, rabid  
supporters at a political rally -- as well as the rabid and often  
outrageous anti-rally people who show up.

But I wish that candidates would avoid the Willie Horton and  
Swiftboating tactics.  I don't think they tell much about the  
character of the target and are the sort of things that are  
unanswerable effectively.

I think the Ayers thing is of that sort of tactic.  It does not seem  
to be gaining much traction among undecideds, independents, and young  
voters, however.  I doubt it will energize that part of the Republican  
base sufficiently to bring out enough of those fear voters this time.   
And I'm not sure the fear tactics will really work this time.

The U.S. Constitution permits this sort of campaigning and we the  
people seem to enjoy it or find it effective enough that it continues  
to be done.

I fear for how ugly things will get in the remaining three weeks.

I wish there were a way to have Buddhist "right speech" principle in  
our law, or a golden rule in campaigning, or a good faith  
requirement.  But there is not.

Perhaps a UK sort of defamation standard would be workable -- though  
campaigns get plenty rough there too.

The particular version we have today is a bit different from decades  
past, but vicious campaigning goes all the way back to earliest times  
of our republic, before formalized parties.  This Ayers thing is  
pretty tame compared to some things we've witnessed.

If anyone could come up with a standard that would be workable and not  
so pliable as to introduce yet other layers of unfairness and which  
would not be subject to manipulation for political ends, I'd like to  
hear it.

Steve


--
Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the  
certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
-- Vaclav Havel.

Steven Jamar
stevenjamar at gmail.com