SERIOUS CAMPAIGN OR POLITICAL CIRCUS ?............

Just ten days ago Governor Mitt Romney announced Representative Paul Ryan as his Vice Presidential running mate with the expectation that would lead to a substantive discussion of essential issues versus the personal foibles that have dominated thus far.  The future plans for Medicare, Social Security, the Affordable Care Act, Jobs, and the Economy among the most important ones.  Then before the Ryan roll out weekend was over, Romney and Ryan were discussing not just their promise of leadership for Amerca, but accusing President Obama of running a campaign of hate to get reelected.  Vice President Joe Biden speaks of people being chained by the banking proposals of the Romney campaign and uses the words, "ya all", in the southern setting of Danville, Virginia, before an audience that was fifty percent African-American.  He is accused of playing the race card and outrage from the Republicans, including Romney, even though he himself feigned a southern accent in South Carolina for several days seven months ago, having been counseled by other politicians to do so, to appeal to primary voters.  And  President Obama makes yet another campaign inference to the Romney family dog Seamus, atop the car, an attempt at humor deflecting from the serious point he was speaking about. These developments led into the past four days fallout from Missouri Congressman Todd Akin's insensitive words about Rape, two weeks after winning the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, being all but universally decried and dominating the news and the focus of the presidential campaign on the cusp of the two National Conventions; has diverted any progress being made on substantive issues for the time being.  The Obama-Biden and Romney-Ryan campaigns need to get the General Election on track and end the silly season talking and explaining their positions on the vital issues to this contest for President, and not allow poltical distractions or personal ambitions to divert from the very serious choice facing Americans on November 6th, in the election of the next President of the United States............Fr.  Troy