You Gotta Take Out A "Political Ad"?

number crunching

A man named Thomas Duane Poole, of Clayton, NC, took out a full page ad on the back page of the News and Observer, Raleigh's newspaper and the political paper of record in NC, last weekend.  Here's a link:
http://shopping.newsobserver.com/ROP/ads.aspx?advid=1381770&adid=10012

At the bottom it's described as a "political ad."  While the text presents a bit of history which has some political implications (one would hope), it's hardly an advertisment at all, but a history lesson mostly concerning Federal surplus and deficit since World War II.  Mr. Poole is rightly angry with the insistent dissembling which has become a daily feature of political conversation, particularly on the Right.  Like me, he has tired of hearing endless falsehoods, and of watching a living experiment in the Big Lie.  Except Mr. Poole went and did the actual research and offers, in his "ad," a history lesson.  Good for him.  There's an actual address on the bottom of the ad.  I plan to send him a note of thanks, as I hope others will as well.

A couple of days ago, Mr. Limbaugh, whom I sample for a few minutes during my lunch drive, said that this year's election was entirely about "ideas."  That was one remarkable statement.  What ideas?  I haven't noticed any at all.  On the Right we find nothing but mischaracterizations of the current administration.  On the Democratic Party's side, there is mainly a frightened effort to stress that each election is local and involves the particular candidates on the local ballot--not Mr. Obama. 

Big cudos to Mr. Poole, a fine North Carolina citizen.  Maybe the N&O ought to put him on the team.