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The Third Effect

Posted by: William H. Perkins, Jr. on August 26, 2008 Featured Article •

Modern American politics is in a mess, isn’t it? The sensationalized rhetoric and histrionic mudslinging of today probably matches (or exceeds) the dirty politics of bygone eras. An astute follower of politics once observed, “You can’t govern if you don’t win,” but the win-at-any-cost mentality of today has become a dangerous drain on our national vitality.

Pundits frequently speculate on the reasons why this mental cruelty is heaped upon us every two years or so. The main reason seems to be that it works. Twisting the truth and distorting reality have an impact on many voters, apparently in three ways.

The First Effect negative campaigning has is to embolden the hardcore supporters of the candidate making the attacks to support their candidate even more passionately, because their opponent looks like such a bad person. The Second Effect is to discourage supporters of the other candidate, in hopes they will drop away from the campaign. The Third Effect is to create disgust among uncommitted voters in general in the hope that they will be repulsed by the mudslinging and just stay home on Election Day.

The Third Effect seems to be the most important and sought-after, because if uncommitted voters simply stay away from the polls, the attacking candidate has an opportunity to get his/her hardcore supporters to the polls and win the election. This is especially true in the election cycle we are currently undergoing.

Many of the crucial races in the country are up for grabs. Many of the races that will decide which political party controls the reins of government for the next two years are within pollsters’ margins of error. The Democrats want very much to hold on to power, and Republicans want very much to regain the power they once enjoyed.

Given the publicly-stated positions and intentions of the two parties, it’s not an overstatement to describe the upcoming November 4 elections as utterly crucial to the future of our nation. Never have the differences between the two competing national parties been clearer. The lines separating the parties have never been brighter. The voters should be fired up like never before to march to the polls and cast a definitive vote.

That’s where the Third Effect comes in to play. If only that huge middle of uncommitted voters can be driven away from the polls by discouraging news and constant misinformation, the party faithful will have the chance to swing the election their way. The strategy is: if only the people with no political ax to grind can be kept from voting, an election can be won.

A voter can expect that type of behavior from unscrupulous candidates but the national news media, which have already proven themselves so untrustworthy in so many other ways, have pulled out all the stops in utilizing the Third Effect to sway this election. Just about every newspaper, every radio and television station, every cable news program, every politically-active Hollywood star has exploited the Third Effect in this election cycle.

They don’t want us to vote—especially, they don’t want Christians to vote. They know the impact we have had on other recent elections, and they’d prefer we sit this one out. That seems to be the new tactic for dealing with Christian and “values” voters: beat them down with so much bad news and dirty insinuations that they’ll just stay home on Election Day.

True enough, politicians have failed Christians in the past. They have courted us, used the proper code words, spoken to us of their deep faith, and then failed us. That will undoubtedly happen again.

We still must vote, even when the Third Effect is heaped upon us. If we care about the future of this country, we will make it to the polls on November 4 and we will vote. Not to do so is to give up on this great country, a gift from God Himself.

That should be all the reason we need to do what’s right.