Have We Completely Lost Our Minds?

Have we completely lost our fucking minds?

I’m serious.

Every morning, I wake up, make myself a cup of coffee, read the news, and think:

“Well, surely we’ve reached the bottom.”

And every morning, American politics says:

“Hold my beer. We’re going deeper!”

Let me tell you what’s happening in Ohio.

Vivek Ramaswamy is running for governor against a woman named Amy Acton.

Now, Ohio has some serious issues.

People are struggling with the cost of living. Healthcare is expensive. Housing is unaffordable for too many families.

You’d think the candidates would be debating how to solve those problems.

But apparently that’s too boring.

Vivek’s campaign decided to produce a political advertisement featuring Amy Acton’s estranged mother.

Her mother!

A woman Amy reportedly hasn’t spoken to since she was 12 years old.

And why?

Because Amy was removed from her mother’s custody after her stepfather was charged with raping her.

Think about that.

A 12-year-old girl goes through a horrific childhood experience.

She survives.

She grows up.

She becomes a physician.

She serves as Ohio’s public health director.

And eventually she decides to run for governor.

And decades later, her political opponent puts her estranged mother on television to call her a liar.

What the fuck does that have to do with governing Ohio?

Seriously!

Does her mother have a plan to fix the highways?

Does she understand economic development?

Is she going to negotiate the state budget?

No!

She’s appearing in a campaign commercial attacking her own daughter.

And somebody thought this was a brilliant political strategy.

Can you imagine that campaign meeting?

“Okay, everybody. We’re behind in the polls. We need something big.”

“How about affordable healthcare?”

“No.”

“Lower property taxes?”

“Boring.”

“Improving public education?”

“Come on, people! THINK!”

Then some genius in the back raises his hand.

“I’ve got it!”

“What?”

“LET’S FIND HER MOTHER!”

And everybody jumps up!

“BRILLIANT!”

“GET THE CAMERAS!”

“CALL THE AD AGENCY!”

“WE’VE GOT OURSELVES A WINNER!”

And according to the reporting, the campaign committed more than four million dollars to airing this thing.

FOUR MILLION DOLLARS!

Imagine spending four million dollars telling people what you’re actually going to do for them.

What a revolutionary concept!

But here’s where the story gets even more interesting.

Republicans themselves are divided over this advertisement.

Ohio’s Republican governor, Mike DeWine, called it deeply troubling and urged Ramaswamy to take it down.

Other Republicans distanced themselves.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump and JD Vance defended it.

And Vivek?

He says he has no regrets.

Now, I want you to think about something.

When did cruelty become a political qualification?

When did humiliating another human being become evidence of leadership?

When did being the loudest person in the room become more important than being the smartest?

And when did we decide that the ability to destroy somebody’s reputation was more valuable than the ability to solve a problem?

Because that’s where we seem to be.

We’ve turned American politics into a combination of professional wrestling, reality television, and a dysfunctional family Thanksgiving.

Except at Thanksgiving, somebody eventually says:

“Would you please pass the mashed potatoes?”

In Washington, they just throw them at each other!

And the American people are sitting at the table wondering:

“CAN SOMEBODY PLEASE JUST FIX THE DAMN COUNTRY?”

Here’s what I find fascinating.

I’m 69 years old.

I’ve lived through a lot of American politics.

I’ve seen Republicans and Democrats come and go.

I’ve watched presidents succeed and fail.

I’ve watched political scandals, wars, economic crises, and more campaign commercials than any human being should have to endure.

And I’ll tell you something.

Political attacks are nothing new.

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams were throwing mud at each other more than 200 years ago.

But today we’ve got something they didn’t have.

Social media.

Twenty-four-hour television.

Algorithms designed to reward outrage.

And political consultants who have figured out that making people angry is often easier than making them think.

We’ve created an entire political economy built around keeping Americans furious with one another.

And who’s getting rich?

The consultants.

The advertising companies.

The political fundraising operations.

The people who profit from keeping the rest of us divided.

Meanwhile, the average American is trying to figure out how to pay the mortgage.

And here’s the irony.

I’ve been spending a lot of time talking to ordinary people.

Not politicians.

Not political consultants.

Not television commentators.

Just people.

Young people. Old people. Republicans. Democrats. Independents.

And you know what I’m discovering?

Most people want remarkably similar things.

They want a decent place to live.

They want safe streets.

They want a good education.

They want affordable healthcare.

And they want the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.

That’s it!

Five basic things!

Nobody has walked up to me and said:

“You know what would really improve my life? If somebody could find a politician’s estranged mother and put her in a television commercial!”

Not one person!

And believe me, I’ve talked to some interesting people!

But here’s what else I’ve learned.

People are tired of being treated like spectators.

They’re tired of being manipulated.

They’re tired of being told whom to hate.

And they’re tired of politicians who spend more time attacking their opponents than explaining what they’re going to accomplish.

Now, I don’t know how the voters in Ohio are going to respond to this advertisement.

That’s their decision.

And I don’t care whether you’re a Republican, Democrat, or independent.

Every candidate deserves scrutiny.

Every candidate should be held accountable.

But shouldn’t that scrutiny focus on their record, their ideas, their honesty, and their ability to govern?

Shouldn’t we demand something more substantial than personal humiliation?

Because here’s the thing.

Politics doesn’t have to be this way.

We have the power to change it.

Not the politicians.

Not the billionaires.

Not the political consultants.

Us.

The citizens.

We can start asking better questions.

We can demand real answers.

We can stop rewarding empty outrage.

We can register, organize, participate, and vote.

And we can remember something very important.

Politicians work for us.

Not the other way around.

I’m 69 years old, and I’m more convinced than ever that the future of this country isn’t going to be determined by the next outrageous political commercial.

It’s going to be determined by whether ordinary Americans decide they’ve finally had enough of the circus.

Because we don’t need another reality television star.

We don’t need another professional insult artist.

And we sure as hell don’t need another four-million-dollar family feud.

We need people who can govern.

We need citizens who participate.

And we need to remember that democracy isn’t supposed to be a spectator sport.

So here’s my suggestion.

The next time a politician runs an advertisement telling you how terrible their opponent is, ask one simple question:

“That’s interesting. But what the hell are YOU going to do for ME?”

And don’t let them change the subject.

Because it’s our country.

It’s our government.

And it’s our future.

Let’s start acting like it.

I’m John Eagleton.

And that’s the truth.