Mute button: Silence should be golden for some campaigns

Don't you sometimes wish you had a mute button that would allow you to only listen to relevant and pertinent comments from those who have been put in charge of managing presidential campaigns?

That would mean that some of the silly bickering, ridiculous mountains made out of molehills and other rhetorical nonsense could be blocked while only information about the issues filters through.

That is the case today.

This probably should not even be mentioned -- that is how silly it is that there is any national discussion about it.

That's right, we are talking about the lipstick on a pig comment -- rather common political verbiage -- and certainly nothing to get so hyped up over.

Sen. Barack Obama made the comment on one of his campaign stops in reference to what he says are tired old policies disguised by Sen. John McCain as new ideas.

And this morning, there was a firestorm with some in the McCain campaign claiming Obama was making a reference to Gov. Sarah Palin's convention speech about a hockey mom, a pitbull and lipstick.

Sexist and insulting, they crowed.

Baloney -- and something Gov. Palin and McCain should put a stop to immediately.

This is an important election -- and there simply is not enough time for petty silliness. Comments like these are simply part of the political banter -- and not a reason to crusade.

Pick on some of the other consistencies in Obama's rhetoric instead. That is the kind of talk voters want to hear.

And the same should be said the next time Obama's camp takes off on another of its "McCain is playing the race card" rants. Voters don't have time to listen to that nonsensical criticism, either.

Most voters are not going to be swayed by pettiness and loud voices protesting about nothing -- and those who will be cannot put any candidate over the top.

If you want to reach this crowd of voters -- women included -- you had better have more than just shallow speech-making and political bashing. Politics won't work this time.

The winner will be the one who figures that out early -- and then shares that knowledge with his handlers.

Published in Editorials on September 10, 2008 11:15 AM