Every semester during election season, we’re accosted by party supporters passing out glossy fliers by the thousands. Every semester, we develop more advanced methods, a la Harriet the Spy, of evading the volunteers who stake out places we can’t avoid and try to convince us to vote for one party over the other.
And every semester, we find ourselves shaking our heads over pitiful and shameful ploys to throw one party or another under the political bus.
A Unite Party representative brought our attention Wednesday evening to just one more example of such a ploy.
According to this gentleman and the evidence he brought us, members of the Independent Coalition of Students distributed cheap, unconvincing fliers while wearing T-shirts displaying the names of the Unite Party and now-defunct Gator Party. This representative also brought along Nancy Drew-style cell-phone pictures of the independents printing large quantities of (can you guess?) to support his case (we know what they look like).
The fliers encouraged members of UF’s Greek community to “protect [their] house[s]” from trying to ascend UF’s political hierarchy because Florida Blue Key has already chosen its next three Student Body presidents from a select few houses.
Whether we believe that information to be true is irrelevant. To be honest, with all the rumors, lies and fairy tales we hear every semester, we don’t know what to believe. In this case, though, we’re focused on the sad reality that instead of campaigning based on merit and serving the students like they promised to do, some people would rather spend their time attacking the opposition. We’re not amused when Rick Scott does it, and we expect better from our peers.
Smear campaigns do nothing but make the offenders seem petty and unworthy of holding power.
Focus on your own campaigns, kids. Maybe then you’ll have a chance.
