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| Week in the field—July 13th, 2012 (Photo credit: Barack Obama) |
From Denny: With about 100 days until the 2012 election for a new President or a second term for President Obama, there is a lot stirring around in the news. Both the Romney and Obama campaigns are working hard to influence opinion polls and the news coverage.
Somewhere along the way the truth has been buried. Yet scandal after scandal emerges from the Obama administration while Romney stumbles with international gaffes. All this explains why the polls reveal two-thirds of America thinks we are on the wrong track.
In the end, after each campaign collecting about $1 billion in donations, neither side appeals to the frustrated voters. Collecting this high level of money makes them both look like crooks. We all know to expect major advertising - carpet bombing style - on the airwaves after Labor Day in September and everyone is dreading it. The American public moans about the negative campaigning and the saturation of ads as an intrusion into our private lives.
Americans are stressed enough with a terrible global economy teetering on a precipice; the last thing we want is more stress. Yet our national politicians continue to shove down our throats what we don't want no matter in how many election cycles we scream back at them.
The two campaigns elbow out third alternative candidates like the Green Party's Dr. Jill Stein, yes, a woman running for President and as a doctor she's big on quality health care. Cheri Honkala is her VP and an anti-poverty advocate. With the way the middle class has disappeared down the rabbit hole the past couple of years from job loss and home foreclosures, we may require her expertise on the national level.
The two national dominant political campaigns, Republicans and Democrats, have also succeeded in keeping third party candidates from getting almost no press coverage. Perhaps it's time for the American public to see the other choices that are not taking corporate or lobbyist money to betray the voters. It really is time for a change - a big one.
