I’m already getting tired of Election 2006

It’s only May, and I already want to scream. It’s not the candidates (yet), it’s the ridiculous shell game of fake grass roots activists.

Real grass roots folks are great, and interesting for a journalist. Unfortunately, in this modern world (with its highly organized political machines at every level of government), they’re vastly outnumbered by fake grass roots folks who all speak off the prepared talking points sent out by the various political groups (even the groups that deny that they’re actually groups). The bad news, though, is that fake grass roots people aren’t as practiced speakers as the actual political professionals, and they will stick very close to the script, giving the game away.

If people would just come in and say, “hey, I’m here from (fill in the group), and we have some issues we’d like to discuss with you,” that’d be great, and it would be building an honest relationship. As it is, I’m half-inclined to ignore their whole point of view entirely because they lie to my face and expect me not to notice. Don’t insult my intelligence.

Six months to Election Day …

• It turns out there’s a name for this: Astroturfing.

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