OPINION:
Voters are tired of the political pandering by the Biden administration. “Yeah, girl, I’m out here in these streets” was a recent phrase used by Vice President Kamala Harris to refer to African American voters (“VP Harris mocked over BET awards campaign video: ‘Cringe,’” web, July 1). It is just one of many phrases being used to deceive us into ignoring the many policy failures of this administration that have created divisions between races, ages, political affiliations and the two genders.
The danger is that pandering can spread like wildfire. My understanding of polling is that it is necessary to decide who and what parts of society a campaign needs to influence. Still, I am trying to remember when someone last called me to participate in a poll. Political pandering is a shortcut to secure support and it seems to be the only choice for President Biden and his campaign team. It is insulting because it takes advantage of voters’ naivete and lack of intelligence. Some examples are student loan forgiveness, the economy and border security.
Pandering allows denial of reality and seeks to use misperceptions to set up social narratives absent of facts. It influences us not to believe what we see with our own eyes and on the news. How, for example, can you expect people to ignore the price increases they witness when food shopping, or the illegal immigrants on mopeds endangering pedestrians, or the recent presidential debate?
This election cycle will show that voters have finally awakened to years of pandering and now reject politicians’ attempts to influence them with deceptive tactics. In this country, if we do not like the direction things are taking, we have the power to change them. The world is watching. Let’s let this year’s election end the divisions created by political pandering and put in charge someone we can trust.
GREG RALEIGH
Washington
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