Election season woes

I’m a believer in democracy and having a multi-party system that affords voters the opportunity to elect their own candidates. However, the past couple of election cycles have shown the brutality that is election season.

This probably isn’t anything new and I think the reason I’m focusing on the past couple of elections is because I’ve gone through college and have come into “the real world” so to speak so I recognize the importance of elections and the privilege as an American to vote.

However, I’m sick of election season. We still have 10 more days of TV ads slamming candidates for their policies or things they’ve said in 10-second sound bites. Ten more days of getting constant phone calls and text messages and emails asking you to donate to one campaign or another. Ten more days of yard signs, debates, Facebook posts, tweets and a number of other political ads.

As a journalist, you can’t really escape it. We are expected to be somewhat of an expert on everything but have limited training on most topics. Researching what the election means to the state from the implications in Madison to trickling down to what it means for road construction in our coverage area, it’s all connected and relevant.

I’m ready for it to be over. I think it’d be one thing if the candidates were flooding you with messages about what they want to do if elected. But it seems as if those type of messages are far and in-between.

I watched both the senate and governor debates performed by the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association over the past couple of weeks. Those debates have some of the information that I’m looking for. But a lot of times, the candidates tries to spin the question into an attack on the other candidate as the moderator tries to reel them back in.

It’s nowhere near the 2020 presidential election in that regard but it has tinges of that style of debate.

It’s clearly an effective tactic for candidates. Why come up with a plan that people can poke holes in when you can attack the other candidates’ short comings? It’s much easier to focus on the negatives and point out what people haven’t done than state what needs to be done and plan for it.

I personally identify better with a more civil manner of politics but I understand that the barbs and attacks on other candidates is what sells people, or makes people turn away from certain political figures.

I’m looking forward to heading up to Lake Holcombe this weekend to spend time with friends and family and get away from the politicized nature of my everyday life.

I’ll go out to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 8 and cast my votes and when I walk out, it’ll be a sigh of relief because election season will be over...until next year.

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