Here We Go - It's Going To Get Ugly!

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Just when it looked like the Republicans were going to continue to beat each other up during the primary season, a shot was taken across the bow at President Obama.  Reince Priebus, Chairman of the Republican National Committee, compared President Obama's travels across the nation to that of the cruise ship captain, Captain Schettino, for "shirking his duties and abandoning the ship here in the United States".  Clearly, the upcoming campaign for the White House is going to get ugly.  How ugly?

By Mr. Priebus's comment, looks like it will get pretty ugly.  It's a stretch to draw an analogy between a cruise line captain leaving his sinking ship to the President who is out and about across the nation extolling the virtues of his economic plan.  Is the President campaigning?  Yes, I believe that everything that the President is doing and will be doing over the next ten months will have some political campaign value to him and his administration.  There is no reason to believe that President Obama will be any different than George W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton and Ronald Reagan in this regard. 

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However, it is regrettable that someone of consequence within the Republican Party chooses to characterize the President in such a fashion.  Yes, he's campaigning but so is everyone else running for office.  If one is in office, that's really all they ever do is run for reelection, both democrat and republican. 

I do find Priebu's comment to be deplorable.  It didn't surprise me though.  I suspect this will only be the beginning of what will obviously be a national campaign filled with half-truths, misinformation, hate and name calling.  Both sides will have to play and it certainly will get ugly.  Toss in the Super PACS and it really will turn into something that we haven't seen before. 

The trouble with all of this is quite simple.  It drives our nation apart.  It drives our people apart.  People believe the half-truths, the misinformation, the hate and the name calling.  They believe it.  They do not take the time to read what statements are true and which ones are false.  They fail to read all of the information to ascertain what is misleading and what is accurate. 

In today's media world, one never knows.  It's not like it used to be where you felt a sense of confidence in Walter Cronkite, David Brinkley and Chet Huntley to provide you with the correct information.  All of today's media are slanted in some fashion or another.  Fair and balanced does not exist even if one network claims it is.  None of it is.