Who cares what they want us to think?

By John M. Fisher
Published: October 7, 2008

In a little less than a month, you and I are going to have to make some critical choices. It is time to pay close attention to the issues.

The only problem is that the boys in the back room only want us to hear their cunningly sinister political noise.

More of that noise is the last thing we need right now.

Anyone who claims to know anything about politics agrees that the final days of this campaign are going to be ugly. There will be attacks and counter attacks. There will be outright lies and distortions.

At a time of American crisis, can we afford to allow ourselves to be swayed by nonsense? Certainly not. The problem is these sorts of sideshow issues — most of which are just made up — are aimed at those among us who don’t pay attention to the real challenges facing us. Sure, the majority of us have already made up our minds about who we want to take us into the future. Some of those choices were made on ideological principles, other choices on race and others still on answers to real questions.

But what about folks who let others make their choices for them?

Sadly, these are the folks who know little about specific plans to build jobs, shore up the economy, provide workable health care or effectively fight America’s enemies. These are the folks who are easily fooled because they just don’t pay attention to what’s actually going on. These are the same folks who tend to flock in droves to candidates who say little in specific terms and seem to know even less about actual issues — or how to solve them.

If you look at the critical state of the economy, why is it so difficult to see that the last thing we all need right now are candidates who only speak in slogans and vague generalities? Why does it seem impossible for some of us to tell the difference between candidates who express their own original ideas from those who simply recite words that someone else had to put into their mouths?

Some of the folks that we have to choose from are “born performers.” Others are career politicians and still others are statesmen. On Nov. 4, it is our job to choose the ones who will actually make a difference in our daily lives, the course of our nation and the future of our children. The stakes have never been higher.

There is a presidential debate tonight, the second of three between Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama. I would encourage everyone to watch on television or listen on the radio. Participate yourself, instead of waiting for the pundits to tell you “who won.” More times than not, those folks have their own jobs in this campaign — to tell you what you’re supposed to think. Make your own decisions for a change.

Thankfully, most of us are not as stupid as some of the jackals who run these campaigns believe. For that reason I, for one, am not as fearful about our future as some of these candidates say we should be. As always, my faith lies in the strength, character and integrity of the American people.

We are, collectively, wiser than they give us credit for being. We certainly deserve better than the lies that have been told to us and the tricks played on us — much, much more.

• John M. Fisher of Danville is a businessman, documentary filmmaker and freelance writer, and is the former bureau chief for KDFW, a CBS affiliate in Fort Worth, Texas. You may contact him at .