Let's decide the South Dakota At Large U.S. Representative race based on which of the two candidates is cuter. Here they are:Hey, does it really make a difference? Either way, South Dakota will be looking pretty good on the House floor.
Before someone accuses me of trivializing this race, let me explain that it's too late for that. Consider this quote from Talking Points Memo today:
State Rep. Kristi Noem (R) recently emerged from a GOP primary and was looking like a strong candidate until the local press unearthed her bad driving record with multiple speeding violations.
TPM's Top 10 House Races To Watch
In case you're wondering, Noem's the brunette.
Seriously, could there be any more trivial way of determining the outcome of a House race? The lady has lousy driving habits. So what? What's her legislative record? What special interests does she have a special relationship with? These are the things I'd be wondering about.
Yet TPM's assumption appears to be founded in reality. Here's a quote from a local paper:
[T]he longer the speeding issue lives in public discussion, the worse it is for Noem, said Joel Rosenthal, a former state Republican Party chairman from Sioux Falls.
“I think her momentum has been stopped by this,” Rosenthal said. “I think we’ve got a really tight race now.”
It isn’t just the news stories of Noem’s driving record over the past 21 years that have kept the issue alive, Rosenthal said. It’s also the fight-back response from Noem supporters, who provided state records showing that Herseth Sandlin’s father, former state Sen. Lars Herseth, had a string of 17 speeding tickets himself.
Noem Apologizes For Traffic Citations
I guess this is one case where the family with the higher score loses.
As for how I want this race to go, this one's a tough call. The blonde's cuter, but with that driving record I bet the brunette would be more fun at parties.
Yes, I've hammered this theme to death already, but when you look at how we choose our leaders, it should be no surprise what we end up with.
3 comments:
This one's still making me giggle. Well, that and wince. Traffic tickets. The family's traffic tickets. *headdesk*
I had a speeding ticket once, back in '75. Guess public office is out, then.
Then there's web posters and videos about Democratic vs. Republican women. Yeesh - Michele Malkin? I'd sooner kiss a rattlesnake.
I guess when the issues are all on the other side, you try to distract voters with something shiny.
Looks to me like both sides need to distract us with something shiny here, George W. That would imply that neither can run on the issues.
The problem is that we're so easily distracted. If this didn't work, people wouldn't do it.
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