Not so ‘super’ Tuesday

THE EDITOR, Madam:

ALMOST EVERY child growing up around the world learns very basic manners from its parents or guardians. Those first lessons stay with most of us our entire lives, and are : 1) To treat others as you would wish to be treated; 2) To never be afraid to tell the truth; 3) To always admit making a mistake that you will try not to repeat. Important and very basic character-building blocks learned at your mother’s knee are more often than not discarded by a certain segment of society, who choose a path in life called politics.

Almost all politicians everywhere around the globe seem to easily forget life’s golden rules, when entering into a world where truthtelling goes out the window, to be replaced by behaviour that is routinely mendacious, prevaricating, perfidious or obfuscating. We’ve all witnessed these familiar traits at every level of politics, from the smalltown mayor’s chair right up to those who slither along the corridors of power in the loftiest offices of global capitals. Being economical with the truth has become such a part of their daily life that mere plebeians have learned to accept it as a rite of passage from those elected, as they extol self-praise coupled with myriad soon-to-be-broken promises.

These were some of my thoughts while watching results of several US presidential primaries and caucuses being tallied on March 5, known as Super Tuesday. Commentators exuberantly confirmed that the race for the White House will be a rematch between two very senior citizens, the Democrat Joe Biden and the Republican Donald Trump. Most everyone on the planet had expected that re-run since November 3, 2020 when Biden was awarded more Electoral College votes than Trump, who refused to accept the count. In fact, he declared the election was rigged, with numerous unsuccessful court challenges. Now the rematch is official, we expect more very angry rhetoric until election day on November 5, eight long months away.

Media mavens use the term “rematch” ad nauseam, like a return bout between a couple of overthe-hill prize fighters in a black and white movie of yesteryear; maybe we’ll soon see them billed as “Holy-Joey, the Scranton Scrapper” against“Donnie-Boy, the Manhattan Mauler”. Some news networks find it necessary to employ a “FactChecker” each time Donnie-Boy gives a live speech, and, equally despicable, Holy-Joey had to quit his presidential bid in 1988 when proof of serial plagiarism and fabrication of self-aggrandising embellishments regarding scholastic and other personal achievements were published. Neither candidate has ever had a close relationship with the truth, but this is the Hobson’s Choice for American voters who will elect the man controlling the Nuclear Button in the Oval Office for the next four years. Thankfully, I take none of what is said by any politician too seriously; viewing it as white-knuckle roller-coaster entertainment, but it certainly looks like this rematch made for a Not-So-Super-Tuesday.

BERNIE SMITH

Parksville, BC

Canada