Bad Campaining

The presidential election campaign here in the U.S. has been in full swing for months. In fact, it starts almost as soon as the previous election ends when wannabe candidates for the next election start raising money to use to campaign and start making speeches all about the country. That process is wrong and wasteful, but in a democracy you can't legislate common sense or good taste. The candidates will continue to campaigning too soon and too much, to the distaste of all the people they ask to vote for them.But that's not the only thing wrong with the presidential election process here (and in many other countries, I assume). Another thing that I don't like is how the candidates campaign to the people who already support them. They give their specs and make appearances in front of their backers instead of people who are not planning to vote for them. This makes no sense and is a waste of campaign funding they have raised.

Making speeches against the opposing candidates in front of their own supporters won't convince anyone new to vote for that candidate. Better if the candidates held rallies, made speeches, and appearances in hostile places in front of people who don't plan on supporting him. That way, there is a pool of voters who potentially might switch their vote the the candidate. Instead, they campaign in friendly places with cheering crowds of supporters, all packaged to look as if their candidate is universally popular. He or she is not and everyone knows it. I say that if you want to gain voters you have to campaign toward those not planning to vote for you and not campaign toward those who already support you.

Another thing strange about our presidential election process is that candidates talk so badly about their opponents personal lives and general state of being. Saying untrue and unkind things about the opposing candidate does more hard to the one saying those things than to the one who is slandered by him.

One who campaigns with nastiness will be perceived as he or she being nasty himself by those he or she wants to win votes from. I think a wise candidate would be the one to criticize the opponent's position nicely, not attack him or her personally. I never vote for any candidate who is cruel with his or her comments about an opponent. More politicians should pretend to be nicer toward their opponents, but attacking in nasty way seems easier for them.

Just think if Obama's opponent said, "Barrack is a nice man and has done many good things. But I can do much more that he to make America better", and then listed the positive things to undertake that Obama has neglected to do. It would shock the voters and probably make more vote against than for Obama's.

In fact, I would have a heart attack if any of those politicians had anything nice to say about their opponents.