Reality Check
It’s time to look inwards.
What would it feel like to carry a great misconception about where the presidential candidates stand? Would you feel doubt? Would it feel any different than knowing the truth?
We know that we don’t know everything about the candidates - there is simply not enough time. So we infer. We make educated guesses. We act on hunches. The process pulls us further and further from our political reality and has the power to sway entire elections.
In 2004, John Tierney of the New York Times wrote, “It’s one week to the election. Do you know where your candidate is?” He continues the editorial by outlining the current political information environment - where we often completely and unknowingly contradict our beliefs when voting for candidates who we don’t agree with.
That same year, the National Annenberg Election Survey found that only half of respondents could typically identify where Bush or Kerry stood on the major issues. What the survey doesn’t reveal is whether we are aware that there is anything is wrong with this picture.
How can we know when our facts are not the reality?
Of course, the answer and responsibility lies in staying connected to the truth. I have learned that one of the hardest things to do in life is admit you are wrong. It is time to let go of what we think we know, and begin to learn with an open-mind. Trust me, after having spent months researching the candidates for this project, there are surprises in here…even for the most astute political junkie.
