ROMNEY-HOOD AND OBAMA-LONEY; AND BOTH CAMPAIGNS STRETCHING VERACITY IN THEIR LATEST ADS............

American Presidential Election Campaigns have become, unlike national leadership elections in most other democracies around the World, an increasingly lengthy, and expensive period, that now spans at least two years not just the few weeks to months as in other countries.  Thus there is a quandary in how the extended campaign periods before and after the parties' primaries and caucuses, and prior to the Democratic and Republican National Conventions and the General Election Campaign develops.  Time and money are spent by the presumptive nominees to define each other for the voters, before each candidate can make a convincing case for themselves; and to establish an edge in polling, fundraising, and favorability, that is driven by advertising, as much if not more than the issues pertinent to the Election.  Here we are in the Summer of Presidential Election Year 2012, witnessing that very reality as both the Obama and Romney campaigns seek to fill and color these weeks to their political advantage going into the all important Autumn Campaign to gain the 270 Electoral Votes necessary to claim the Presidency on January 20, 2013.  Characterizing the analysis of a report by the Tax Policy Center, a non partisan group, on Monday President Obama came up with a new phrase to describe Governor Romney's tax proposals saying Romney would, "ask the middle class to pay more taxes so that he could give another $250,000.00 tax cut to people making more than $3 million a year.  It's like Robin Hood in reverse.  It's Romney Hood".  Governor Romney rebutted the Obama charge telling FOX News, "We've been watching the President say a lot of things about me and my policies.  And they are just not right.  If I were to coin a term it would be, 'Obamaloney' ".  Political pundits of all persuasions are criticizing this kind of name calling and tone at this point in the campaign.  I argue the length of the presidential campaign has grown so long that this summer down time in the election process has turned into a punch and counter punch contest that becomes ridiculous and detracts from the seriousness of the issues.  Paid advertisements are also muddling up the facts on various issues perverting and twisting the facts causing consternation about the propriety of assertions by the campaign managers, super PACS, and independent entities, who are airing commercials playing loose with the facts.  The Priorities USA super PAC supporting Obama's re-election is in the crossfires over an ad about the death of a woman who lost health insurance coverage alledgedly due to Romney and Bain Capital's closure of a steel plant in Kansas City.  The actual timeline and Romney's role are questionable.  The Romney campaign meanwhile has an advertisement running that misconstrues a memo by the Health and Human Services Department regarding waivers to work requirements in the 1996 Welfare Reform Law, alledging President Obama is wanting to, "gut welfare reform", and believes "that they shouldn't have to have a work requirement", according to Governor Romney and that is false.  Therefore, as the we move full throttle into the final stages of the 2012 Presidential Election - the Vice Presidential Candidate selection, the National Conventions and acceptance speeches, the Obama-Romney face to face Debates, and the Voting, - holding the nominees, their handlers, and supporters, to the truth and the facts and keeping the campaign focused on the real issues pertinent to who will be President the next four years and asking how he will govern on what truly matters to the future of America, not the sideshow we have been experiencing; must be priority one for the campaign and every citizen, as we hold both candidates accountable for the positions they take............Fr.  Troy