Swift Issues

The biggest issue in the campaign for the highest office in the land and indeed the most powerful in the world has been, of late, the differing accounts of a young man's service in a war fought thirty-some years ago. On TV last night, I watched expert after expert give their opinion on some aspect of the matter, and then declare that the candidates need to get back to the issues.

What issues? How about Bush's executive order changing overtime laws. According to the Kerry campaign, that will cut pay for 6 million American workers. Terrible! But according to right-wing economists, it will add over a million mostly low-paid overtimers to the time-and-a-half rolls, and cut only 300,000, most of whom are already earning a lot. It's a fascinating issue - but truly arcane and gets deeply into the guesswork of economics. Can the American public decide a candidate based on this, a real issue? Doubtful - and even then it would be a matter of deciding which economists you trust.

On other issues, less arcane and more comprehensible, the candidates are inscrutably obfuscative. Could you explain to me each candidate's position on health care reform? I'm guessing most seniors, even, couldn't lay out clearly how each side's proposals would impact them.

Worst of all, on the biggest issue facing the United States today, the candidates fundamentally agree. So what do we decide this on? We decide it on things like Swift Boat Veterans for Truth: how do Bush and Kerry handle controversy? Are they taking huge risks, losing their tempers (a la Dean), or playing it smart. Not that the actual content is such a concern; it's more like a sports field on which the candidates play out a political game and the fans - I mean, voters - judge.