This is what's wrong with politics

Agree or disagree with his politics, it's hard to listen to Noam Chomsky talk about the lack of real elections fought on issues and not notice examples of it. It's true, people tend to focus more on "likability" and "comfort" and "personality" than they do on where candidates stand on issues.

Take this ad, for example. Absolutely NOWHERE in that ad is there a single policy proposal. Not a single issue is addressed. The ad is entirely void of any substance. Oh sure, it makes Mark Kennedy look like a really nice guy, who's not a lawyer. But what does Mark Kennedy believe? What are his goals? What is his vision? Where does he stand on tax cuts, on healthcare, on foreign policy, on the environment, on gay rights, on... I don't know, puppies! Oh, and here's a good one - what PARTY is he running for? (The ad doesn't even mention that! For the record, he's a Republican - this could just be indicative of a trend of Republican candidates not using the party's tainted name.)

Personally, I think the reason for this isn't mass stupidity, but the fact that the two parties in America are so similar, that people don't even bother trying to tell them apart, and instead just figure that it's best to simply elect the guy who seems the nicest. What a sad way for democracy to languish.