I warned you in the title. If politics are not your thing, I strongly suggest looking back at old posts.

I’ve had enough. I have been pretty quiet regarding the upcoming election for long enough. I have to speak my mind but it is not about what you think. I am not going to discuss debates or town halls. I am not going to discuss anything that is national. I want to discuss local politics.

First, I hope, for his sake, Chris Gibson wins his congressional election. Why, you may ask? Mostly because I am sick of the ads. Gibson is running for a redrawn district so is basically running new, even though he as an incumbent. The bigger issue is that I have been overwhelmed with ads for Gibson. I probably know more about him than I do about either of the two people running for the congressional district I live in. One morning – I get up about 6 am and watch local news and then The CBS Morning Show – I saw, in three hours of news on the television, 15 Gibson ads. I realize this is due to the CBS station reaching into the district he is running in but it just barely reaches into his district. There has to be a better place for him to spend his monies.

Second, let’s talk about person – as in the person used in speech in a political television ad. I’m all for the candidate talking about his/her accomplishments. What I do not want to hear is the candidate talking as if items/bills were made into law single handedly.

Let’s take an ad that Kirsten Gillibrand is running here locally. Yes, this is a bit more of a national ad as it is for the US Senate but she is only running in my state so I consider it local. The ad is all about her accomplishments. Great way for an incumbent to get information out to constituents. My problem with the ad is it makes it sound like she single handedly passed a bill that prohibits legislators from insider trading. It also sounds like she single handedly stopped automatic congressional pay raises. Most people who know anything about our government know that nothing is accomplished alone. Compromises must be made and alliances formed to get a bill the President’s desk. Not according to Senator Gillibrand.

Another, more local, politician who is trying to make it sound like he is more important than he probably is would be incumbent state senator Thomas Libous. His current ad, while the tag line of “Actions Speak Louder” – although I am unsure louder than what – is a great line for an incumbent as he has actions to tell about whereas a challenger who has never been in office may not, makes it sound like he and the governor have together – with little or no help from anyone else – solved all the states problems. Many of the photos that are imposed on this television ad – at least Gillibrand is moving and live in most of the ads – look as though Senator Libous has been photoshopped into the photo. While actions speak louder, it would be good to have the actions look believable.