But we don’t of course, and Jamison Foser over at MediaMatters really nails them to the wall with this one. If only we could hold the media accountable, even in the imperfect way we get to hold politicians accountable.
So please — please — use these last 10 days well. Use them to educate your readers and viewers and listeners about the things that really matter. Use the next 10 days to help people understand what the candidates want to do about Iraq and whether their solutions have worked in the past. About how we’ve failed to capture Osama bin Laden and what we’re doing to change that. About what is happening in Afghanistan, about port security, about the budget deficit, about wage stagnation, about runaway energy costs, and about health care.
Don’t just use this time to play an RNC ad — or a DNC ad, or any ad — over and over and over and over again. Voters will see these ads; the parties and candidates are paying for voters to see them. That’s the whole point of an ad. Voters don’t need you to air these ads nonstop, for free. The parties want you to do that. You’re doing their bidding. You’re telling voters about campaign tactics rather than issues. But campaign tactics don’t keep us safe, don’t keep our troops from dying needlessly in Iraq, don’t put food on the table, and don’t help people get health care.
Oh, if only. We can always dream I guess.