Palin Drone

PAINE IN THE BUT  -- In "Common Sense," Thomas Paine wrote of "words of sound only, and though they may amuse the ear, they cannot inform the mind." As in 1776, so today, with candidates ranting with words "full of sound and fury," as Shakespeare put it, designed to appeal to emotions in their efforts to gather votes. Too often, politics in America is not about getting anything done; it's about getting elected.

POLITICAL ADVICE -- "Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel," said the wise PR man to his client. And don't threaten them, either, especially when cameras are rolling. Carl Paladino, candidate for governor in New York, forgot that (if he ever knew it) when he said to a reporter: "I'll take you out."

WHO'S WHO? -- Candidates seem to have given up providing their party affiliation in TV ads, and their messages are phrased so that it's hard to discern any difference in their positions. What's a poor voter to do? Pug Mahoney, the ringside sage, pointed out that "We get the kind of government we deserve, not the kind we need. They're all clones in the demoglopic party."

Years ago, as president of the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE), I wrote: "Too many business executives believe that if you are not an advocate for their position, you are therefore an adversary. Good reporters are neither. We ask the tough questions because they need to be asked." That's true today. Politicians, especially Republican conservatives, don't like dealing with news reporters because they can't control them. Maybe that's why the invisible candidate in Delaware talks only to the party faithful, and even then by prerecorded speeches.

NOTE WELL -- The ads on this blog are provided by the folks at Google. The Samurai Rim Man believes in the separation of editorial and advertising departments. We don't tell them how to sell ads, and they don't tell us how or what to write.