The best thing about Tuesday?s primary election is that the disgustingly negative political campaigns will at last be over?at least for a few weeks. The slurry of attacks over the past few months has surpassed the Gulf oil spill for the spread of slime and crude in the public environment.
We?re not saying Marion County is the center of civility, but it strikes us that the campaigns we?ve observed have grown increasingly repugnant the further they reach beyond our local borders. We?ve heard nary a negative word or from either Bob Hein or Roger Fleming, the two Republicans running for county commission. Bob Brookens and Cheryl Green in the 70th District have bandied occasional barbs, but have shown some restraint. Move to the ?Big First? race for the U.S. House and we?ve got one candidate promising to ?stick it to Pelosi and Obama.? What?s with that? Finally, the race for the U.S. Senate between Jerry Moran and Todd Tiahrt has been particularly disappointing to us. We?ll give Moran points, though, for staying slightly on the higher side of pathetic politics.
We?re not quite ready to wash our hands of the American political process. But we will take a long scrub in the shower after we cast our ballots this time around. ?DR