Fingering-pointing, tongue-wagging

Is anyone ready for this year's election season to be over? Are you growing weary of finger-pointing, flip-flopping candidates talking about everything except the issues? It seems that candidates are resorting to the he-said, she-said politics of pointing fingers, as we move closer to the General Election. This finger-pointing, tongue-wagging method of political campaigns has become common place nationwide and it is no different here in Hernando County. Another common practice of candidates, nationwide and locally, is to waffle on important issues placed at their doorstep, as their campaigns wind down to the 11th hour. The term flip-flop was coined during the 2004 presidential race to describe Senator John Kerry. In fact, the Online definition of flip-flop is a sudden real or apparent change of policy or opinion. Usually it will occur during the period prior to an election in order to maximize the candidates' popularity. This flip-flop label was originally used to attack politicians for making election policies that they either had no intention of keeping, or decided not to keep for political convenience. Sometimes the label of flip-flop is unfairly placed on candidates by the mass media with the intent to sway public opinion. For instance, Congresswoman Ginny Brown Waite is an example of the negative media influence that has attempted to distort her position on the war in Iraq. Brown-Waite has been very clear from the beginning of the war and has always kept her constituent's informed on her position. During her two terms in office as our congresswoman Ginny has effectively governed in a non-partisan fashion to fairly represent the interests of her district. Sometimes the flip-flop label is appropriate though when a candidate makes a firm statement on an issue before the Primary Election and then decides to take a "wait and see" approach if successful in the General Election, like Rose Rocco, Jaime Wrye and David Russell who are all candidates for county commission. The public is hungry for honest candidates that are committed to keeping truthful campaign pledges, even if it is the unpopular thing to do...