The biggest obstacle in Presidential races is oversimplification

[Armstead]

Is the country ready for a woman president? Is the country ready for a black president?

John Edwards is running on an anti-poverty message but lives in a big house.

Dennis Kucinich is an anti-war flake.

Howard Dean is too far left and doesn't have the temprement to be president.

Joe Lieberman is a right winger.

John Kerry Waffles.

John Mccain is a maverick.

Rudy Guiliani is a liberal.

ETC.

How many people (including us DUers) have a chance to get below the facile stereotypes and caricatures about the various presidential candidates?

It's been frustrating to watch every year as candidates are sold as one-dimensional caricatures, without knowing about where they really stand on specific issues. Or what their personal and public history really is?

Instead of 3D portrayals, each candidate is given -- or acquires -- a one or two sentence meme attached to them.

For example, I remember seeing several Town Hall forums on CSpan during the 04 primaries with Howard Dean. The contrast between the thoughtful, detailed and rational answers he gave to questions, and his good-natured reasonable demeanor, was in stark contrast to the way he was being portrayed in the media as a wildman and a radical.

Or Dennis Kucinich, who has substential ideas for many different and specific issues. But all he was known for is being a strident anti-war flake.

As we move toward 08, the same crap is already starting. Barak Obama is a breath of fresh air because he is a dynamic speaker and is black, but does he have the experience to run? Hilary Clinton is already the annointed candidate. John Edwards is a hypocrite because he talks about poverty and lives in a big house....etc. etc. etc.

As long as we allow the media and politicians and ourselves fall for this shallow level of debate and campaign memes, we'll continue to get shallow candidates and useless or destructive government.

[emulatorloo]

1. Repugs generate "straw-man" versions of our Candidates

and the media seems to want to pass those perceptions along without questioning. That was clearly the case in 2000 and 2004.