FRONTLINE: the choice 2008
Regular readers of this blog know that I intentionally avoid the topic of politics. This is a rare exception and does not offer any personal political opinion; only a suggestion, an encouragement to choose for yourself and to exercise your right and responsibility to vote.
I am loathsome of the state of the election process in this day and age. Americans are bombarded by negative political ads and attacks on an opponent’s character. In many ways we see a different message in the political ads, where accusations and inflammatory comments can be made from a safe distance, than we see in the debates where there is an expectation of civility and order if not common decency. Who are these candidates really? What are the events that have shaped their respective views of this great country and the world? I have struggled with these very questions myself over the last few months as election day draws nearer.
I am an avid viewer of the program FRONTLINE on PBS. Every presidential election year they produce a two hour joint biography of the candidates. That program for this election year aired tonight. I cannot say that even after watching the program I have made my final decision on how I will cast my vote, but I can say that I feel I understand both candidates’ motivations and inspirations better today than yesterday. The program is, in the tradition of FRONTLINE and PBS, an unbiased look at two distinctly different men. I encourage you to take a look if you didn’t get a chance to watch it already. You can watch the program in it’s entirety at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/choice2008/ or download it for free from iTunes starting tomorrow, Wednesday, October 15th.
DDuBlog 