The mid-term elections for 2014 are finally over (well almost, there are a few runoffs yet to be decided). I must be candid and admit I am pleased with the general outcome and where we are now that it is over. That being said, I am not pleased with the process that got us here. Frankly, I am tired of all the negative campaigning that fills the airwaves every election cycle. Instead of telling us what she believes on the issues, what she intends to do when elected, and why we should vote for her, every candidate seems obsessed with telling us bad things about her opponent and why we should not vote for him.
I suppose some degree of challenging an opponent’s record is to be expected. However, sometimes it really gets down and dirty. One candidate will accuse the other of being racist, sexist, homophobic (we know what they mean by that word, but literally it means “afraid of humans”), crooked, or even worse to scare people into voting against his opponent. Election experts must believe that kind of negative campaigning works or else they would not use it. Nonetheless, I can’t help but think that if, instead of just incessantly attacking one’s adversary, a candidate calmly put forth a positive program for what he would seek to accomplish if elected it would be just as, or more effective for attracting voters.