Alas, avoiding the political rhetoric is virtually impossible. If you’re a Californian however, you’ll be spared much of the barrage of local ads that’ll rain down upon say Ohioans or Floridians. Of course there’ll be the national ads that’ll interrupt your football game or Dancing With the Stars (if it’s DWS season that is).

I caught a news clip this week that featured the President on the stump preaching his brand of policymaking to a most sympathetic union-member audience. I have to say, the man possesses oratory prowess like no televangelist I’ve ever seen. To the frenzied crowd he said, words to the effect, that he has stuck with them from the beginning and will continue to do so going forward. Now, to be fair, were he held to task, he’d no doubt claim to have been referring to the working class American, union member and non-union member alike. Yesterday I listened to a CNBC interview with the head of the AFLCIO. What struck me was his hailing the improvement in the U.S. economy “since we took over in 2008”. I suppose I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt (or not) and assume, his official capacity notwithstanding, that the “we” he referred to was he and fellow Democrats, as opposed to the unions. Although they (the unions) have taken over a noticeable chunk of GM since “they” took over the White House.

Now let’s pick on the challenger. In his nomination acceptance speech, Mitt Romney, not possessing nearly the charisma of his opponent (but he did fine), said:

“President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family.”

Did that inspire you? Well, quite frankly, it should have made you shutter, as should have Paul Ryan’s “tax fairness” comment during his speech a couple nights earlier. Folks, what we don’t need is government helping us and our families. That, or I should say the illusion/manipulation of “that”, explains, to no small degree, what got us here in the first place. I know (assuming you’re “conservative”), you’d say I’m taking his comment out of context. He really meant to say “my promise is to get government out of your way so you can help yourself and your family.” But if that’s what he meant to say, then he should have darn well said it. And not cater to the entitlement mentality that I fear is becoming rooted into the psyche of too many American families.

You may think the end (a political win) justifies the means. I disagree. Because when you promise the world, you’re going to be compelled to deliver. Such is the cause of trillion dollar deficits…

Russ Roberts makes the (help you and your family) point, better than me, in this post on his fabulous blog cafehayek.com.