Candidates need to run a clean campaign

By:

Shandra Jordan

Colleen Buhrer

Kyle Endres

Jason Kosena

Willow Welter

Christopher J. Ortiz

Patrick Crossland

Last week’s headlines included Democrats questioning President

Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard while Republicans

run smear ads about John Kerry’s anti-war action after the Vietnam

War.

Instead of focusing on current and relevant issues, the two

camps have been busybodies trying to tarnish the character of the

opposite candidate.

Our neck of the woods has seen the results of negative ads. Stan

Matsunaka, who ran and lost the 4th Congressional District seat

back in 2002, left a career of politics behind in part because of

how personal and hurtful the negative ads had become.

We feel personality and character are important in political

races but there needs to be a balance between character and issues.

What relevance is there in Bush’s or Kerry’s actions 25 years ago?

Whose life does it affect whether or not Bush was MIA during his

service or that Kerry was protesting a war. What matters is issues

like the economy and problems in Iraq.

Instead of character attacks, the two camps should focus on

issues relating to the campaign. There is a hotbed of issues that

merit attention; foreign policy, the failing economy, gay rights.

Instead we have to read through mudslinging stories about Kerry and

Bush.

The candidates’ camps need to focus on their own issues and

agendas rather than everyone else’s.

But obviously negative ads work or politicians would find

another scheme to get voters’ attention. We only wish people would

pay attention to the issues on hand that affect our lives and

yours.