The Convention Must Educate the Low Information Voter

Just like you, I have been watching Democratic and Republican conventions ever since I can remember. And what do we learn? Well, one thing we learn is that other Democrats and Republicans speaking at their respective conventions support their party's candidate and platform. Duh!! I think we get that part, and since I'm a Democrat, I will only speak of that convention.

We have a spectacular convention coming up in Denver, and it should be an entertaining lovefest of the Democratic Party, our candidate Barack Obama and a celebration of our patriotism and love of America. But it will be missing something that seems mandatory at this point to make available to the viewers, and this is a guaranteed huge audience with the maximum exposure to the voting public.

Let's face facts...this is the disinformation age. John McCain and the Republican talking heads and their network participants have distorted almost everything about Barack, from his religion to his tax plan to his energy plan to his foreign policy expertise and agenda. What I am suggesting is probably radical, but I feel that it's the right forum to take advantage of the unfettered media coverage and to speak directly to the American people.

I will be in the convention hall. I am humbled by getting the opportunity to be there to nominate Barack, and I am proud to say that I have been studying our candidate for a year and a half. Although I listen to it, I am not swayed by the lies and misrepresentations of the McCain campaign, but about thirty percent of this country is. It is time for a reorientation of their opinions and this is the place to do it. We will not get another opportunity after this event. Not at a place where the speakers won't be constantly interrupted, contradicted or answered with more lies and deceptions.

I feel pretty strongly about this. I don't want to take away from the pageantry, the majesty and the magic of this week's festivities, but a little Obama 101 won't hurt anyone. It will set a new precedent, and for the first time in my lifetime, we will have pundits saying that people actually learned something at this convention, which they usually predict the opposite and wind up being correct.

What do you think? Let's educate the low information voter. Let's turn them from low info to informed. It can happen. If nothing else, it will put what Obama stands for -- and conversely what McCain stands for, and everything should come out, all the misrepresentations of McCain's own record and what he does or does not stand for -- front and center in the media, and while they're discussing the fabulous speeches, the exuberant crowd, they can discuss for the first time ever at a convention what talking points are being made.

Let's do it! Go Obama!! I'll see you next week.