Are Ohio voters getting smarter?
Now that money doesn't seem to buy elections (at least money alone), that just may be the case:
Watching Ohio Burn and Earn go down in flames, along with the tobacco-backed "smoking ban," was a day in the sun for voters. When too often elections look a lot more like auctions than a Democratic process, it's a heart-warming feeling to see voters not fall for the smoke and mirrors thrown out by the all-powerful dollar.
Just to throw it out there: Dare I say the new media is educating voters to the point that money is becoming obsolete.
I can dream.
Who says Ohio doesn't have a growth industry? When it comes to funding and fighting ballot issues, Ohio is setting records.
Proponents and opponents of four statewide ballot issues on slot machines, dueling smoking bans, and the minimum wage spent nearly $44 million on their campaigns, according to final reports filed yesterday with the secretary of state's office. That breaks down to roughly $11 for each of the 4.1 million voters who cast ballots.
And, in three out of the four issues, those who spent the most came out on the losing side.
"I find it intriguing that, for a long time, we thought that if you spent enough money you could win," said Peg Rosenfield, elections specialist for the League of Women Voters of Ohio.
Watching Ohio Burn and Earn go down in flames, along with the tobacco-backed "smoking ban," was a day in the sun for voters. When too often elections look a lot more like auctions than a Democratic process, it's a heart-warming feeling to see voters not fall for the smoke and mirrors thrown out by the all-powerful dollar.
Just to throw it out there: Dare I say the new media is educating voters to the point that money is becoming obsolete.
I can dream.
Labels: Ohio politics
You are dreaming! You can't fool all the people all the time, but they fool most of the people most of the time.
The issue campaigns are a little easier to figure out than where a candidate stands, despite the fuzzy language.
Of course it's still pay to play. Good candidates are still shut out by the League of Partisan Voters because they've accepted the corrupt role of money on our elections/auctions.
I wouldn't get to overly optimistic that things are changing, but I do think that new media is having an impact and is part of the key to ending corporate rule.
Posted by Anonymous | 12:54 PM