This is the result of another conversation at my day job.

The ideal of politics is rather bizzare, but none the less noble for that. It is that the people-all of the people, not just the powerful-should have a say in the way government is run. Since we live in a republic, not a true democracy, we the people do not vote on each and every piece of legislation, nor would we desire to do so. This would mean that we would have almost no time to tend to our own lives. It is for this reason that we elect representatives to speak on our behalf. Because it is not possible to anticipate every issue that may come up in a given legislative term, we must rely on the character of a candidate as much or more than his stated positions on particular issues. Therefore, it is-and should be-fair to speak about a candidate's character. There may also be issues large enough that they can be anticipated, and the public has a right to know a candidate's position on these issues. Since candidates themselves are often squeamish about clearly stating their positions on these issues, it often falls to outside "interest groups" to inform the public. This is exactly the kind of speach that the new campaign finance "reform" legislation was written to squelch. Sometimes, these ads mention a candidate by name, sometimes it is not necessary to do so. Sometimes, they make their point forcefully, but this is also their right. Remember, a statement is only slander if it is FALSE.

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