Charles Shiflett Column March 28, 2004

A Lesson Learned

My first recollection of anything political was the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in
November 1963. I was 3 years old, and though I really had no opinion of Kennedy, I remember I didn't
like his vice-president and successor Lyndon B. Johnson. No political reason, he just seemed grumpy
and mean to my young mind. I pulled for Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election and was disappointed
Mr. Grumpy won and would be my President for four more years.

From that moment own, I became fascinated with politics, government, and news. Someone was
going to make decisions affecting me and I wanted to know who and why. In 1968, this eight-year-old
used my color markers to make some flyers and then went door-to-door around my block encouraging
neighbors to vote for Richard Nixon. In 1970 I campaigned against Jimmy Carter during his run for
governor, and in 1972 I was back on the trail for Nixon.

My political involvement continued to increase over the years until one day my little balloon burst.
Political reality started to sink in and I began to understand that politics was truly a science. It was
much more than two candidates with differing beliefs explaining their stands to the voting public. I
found that superior ideas didn't automatically translate into political success. If you didn't win the
election, then you would never have an opportunity to help put your ideas into practice.

Unfortunately for too many politicians, winning is everything - exaggerate the positives of your own
beliefs and voting record and exaggerate the negatives of your opponent's beliefs and record. Cash in
every favor you've done for someone. Put the squeeze on for campaign contributions. Intimidate people
to keep them from contributing to your opponent. Take credit for every good thing you can think of - Al
Gore's inventing of the Internet is a good example.

Then there's the science part - identify every voter in your district by sex, race, and party affiliation.
Further isolation of voters by special interests is vital. Are they pro-life, pro Second Amendment, pro-
defense? Have a poll done to uncover the primary issues driving the various voter groups. Develop
marketing materials for each subset to maximize impact. Develop wedge issues to drive likely voters
away from your opponent. Discourage voters supporting the other side, so they stay home instead of
vote.

Is there any wonder most Americans are completely turned off by politics? Dirty campaign tricks are
nothing new -they've been around since the early days of our republic. But when coupled with today's
Madison Avenue marketing science - we have a dangerous combination. Marketers know what pushes
your buttons and trips your trigger. It's frightening to understand just how easily Americans in general
can be manipulated. And of course, don't forget the biggest political marketing tool of all - If you tell a
lie long enough and loud enough eventually it will seem to be the truth.

So are you susceptible to the wiles of the political marketing gurus? Or do you truly study candidate's
voting records and stances on the issues? Do you dig deep enough to understand how politicians
manipulate the legislative process so they can appear to be on both sides of an issue so as to keep
everyone happy? Have you gone beyond the final vote on an issue to see how your legislator may have
voted in committee on that subject - when he thought no one would notice?

Good government requires hard work and unfortunately most Americans are too busy to notice or too
lazy to care. And then we have those voters who put their own self-interest above that of the long term
good of the state or nation. Personal sacrifice is a foreign word to many. The bottom line? There is no
guarantee the “American Experiment” will continue for the remainder of your lifetime. European nations
want the United States brought down to size and terror groups along with nations like China want us
brought down period!

Then there are the homegrown socialists who want to destroy our way of life from within through
increased government handouts, and appeasement of those intent on our destruction. John Kerry's
ideas about requiring UN approval before we can use our own military in defense of our nation come to
mind. And I'm sorry Senator Kerry, but the War on Terror requires overwhelming military force, not
police work.

Our nation was built upon the backs of individuals - not through collectiveness thinking. As I look
around it frighteningly appears we are running out of individuals. Naively, I learned my lesson years ago
about how politics really works. It's easy to pass this class; you just have to ignore the marketing and
focus on the issues. For the sake of our nation, I hope more Americans will take that step.