Few Watchful Eyes

Trey Smith

This time of year is soo predictable. Whenever there is a big political race -- one the media wants to be a horse race -- October is the month in which it is declared that the race is tightening. It rarely matters which candidate is in the lead. We are told that the opponent is rising in the polls and the candidates are now neck-and-neck.

In this year's presidential race, the supposed catalyst for Mitt Romney's big surge comes from the first televised debate, one that the pundits said Romney clearly won. But here's my question: Who actually watches political debates anymore?

I conducted a very unscientific survey in and around my community. After talking to scores of people, I found that the ONLY folks who admitted to watching part or all of the first debate are those who are ardently partisan. In other words, they've already made up their mind as to whom they will vote for and simply tuned in to watch their guy.

I found not ONE person who is undecided about which candidate they will vote for (or if they will vote at all) who watched the debate. Most of these folks were oblivious to the fact that a debate had been televised. The few who were aware the debate was on TV simply weren't interested in watching it.

I'm betting that this is not some anomaly based in South Bend, Washington. I would guess that the vast majority of the voting public didn't watch it either. (Who watches network television this days anyway?) So, if few people actually watched this so-called pivotal debate, how then could it be responsible for a surge in the polls?

The most obvious answer is that a perceived neck-and-neck horse race benefits two groups. The first group is the mainstream media. Supposedly tight races will encourage candidates and others to spend increasing amounts on political advertising and political advertising means big bucks for the networks.

The second group includes the campaign committees of the candidate themselves and all those shady Super PACS. A perceived close race means they can wring ever more money out of their supporters. If you think the candidate you support might lose, then you will break the bank to insure this doesn't happen.

Modern politics is ALL about money and this situation is no different!