Impossible politics
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.”
- Abraham Lincoln, former President of the USA
The elections are almost here and the political campaigns are in full swing. As always, what we see and hear are accusations, discreditations and half truths about the candidates. Anything that can be used to affect the image of the opponent will be used. This, for those who are not into politics, only manages to create confusion.
What would happen if the discreditation and attacks against political candidates were prohibited? After what we’ve seen and heard for many years, this sounds a bit naive. But maybe it’s simply that we are used to politics being this way, although that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be possible to have it differently. Let’s think for a second about a candidate saying “my opponent has done very good things and in this regard, I even think that I might continue some of their projects given that they are good for the community,” or “congratulations to the other candidate for that proposal, I would not have thought of something like that,” or this: “the few things where this candidate has been mistaken can be corrected if you give me an opportunity.”
It truly wouldn’t be crazy to hear something like this, if the candidates acted thinking only on the benefit for the community, without pressure from the powerful or from the parties that they belong to and the people that they’ve made commitments to.
Upon hearing exaggerations, half-truths, and accusations between candidates, they seem to forget that literally “the world is watching them” and that everyone is an American citizen in search of something that will benefit their own people.
Perhaps, when the campaigns end, everyone will go back to “friends as usual”, but during the campaigns what some people say about others leaves a lot to be desired.
