Attack Dogs and Politics

Isn’t it interesting and sad to see the state of politics in our country these days. We all sit back and see the anger and misrepresentations that saturate the airwaves, newsprint and electronic media. The media refers to these folks as “attack dogs”.

The attack dogs are supporters of candidates that are authorized by the candidate to publish half-truths and unfounded accusations about other candidates. We are all familiar with this phenomenon and most of us, rightfully, just shake it off and go on with our lives.

The attack dogs certainly are within their rights to spew their venom but the deeper issue is what does this tell you about the candidate that allows this to happen? The candidate seems to hide behind the dog and hopes that the general voter believes the message coming from the attack dog that certainly has a “dog in the fight”.

The Presidential campaign has been a prime time example of this type of politics but it leaks down throughout the state and local elections. Actually if you look at the history of politics in our country you will see many examples of these attacks. It is just that today they really cross the line.

The people that I speak to in Novi and Northville regarding this practice encourage me. They, like me, are fatigued by the attack dog rhetoric and pay no attention. We are forced to watch this play out at the national and state level but when it comes to local and county races we tend to draw the line.

No one is served well by lies and innuendo. The voters are wise to this and are repelled by the attack dog syndrome.

So the next time you hear from one of these people just ask yourself this. What do I think about a candidate that allows this to happen? Do you want this kind of person to represent you?

Lou Csordas
Former Mayor, City of Novi