The writer of a recent letter to the editor (“Gideon’s bad ads pollute airwaves,” Sept. 18) decried the ads run by the Gideon campaign, which he argues misrepresent the record of Sen. Collins, and said that he planned to protest such advertisements by voting for Collins.

The state of political advertising in general is indeed something to lament — but so is the idea of any citizen opting to vote for or against someone based on that advertising. The candidates we elect this November must shoulder the enormous responsibility of governing our state and our country, and anyone who votes has a comparable responsibility: to understand the issues before us, and vote in favor of the candidates who will approach those issues most effectively.

To the writer of the recent letter, I would suggest that he stop focusing on advertising and get serious. Rarely in the history of our country has an election held such tremendous importance, and we need leaders who will govern with intelligence, compassion, courage and fairness. To decide who warrants election based on a dislike for 30-second TV spots is an abdication of civic responsibility.

 

Kevin A. O’Brien

Augusta

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