Maybe It's Just Me

At some point, after John McCain announced he was pulling ads from Michigan, I figured I'd be spared the bitter back-and-forth that had previously overtaken my television set. Boy was I wrong.

Every state has their ballot initiatives, and Michigan is no different. But ours tend to be controversial.

Enter Proposal 2.

Now, even the name garners bad blood in Michigan because the last significant controversial ballot initiative that I remember was also called Prop 2, and it was seeking to end affirmative action in the state. Believe it or not, that bullshit passed by a 58% to 42% margin. I won't get into the specifics of that battle or the reasons why it slid through, but suffice it to say there was a significant amount of race-baiting and fear-mongering involved. That was two years ago.

This latest Prop 2 seeks to add a constitutional amendment which would allow for embryonic stem cell research in Michigan.

Now, as a science enthusiast myself, I am usually all for research. And, with two of the best medical schools in the country, Michigan State University and University of Michigan (U of M also ranks near the top for medical research), it seems appropriate that the state would adopt this amendment.

But, there are two sides to every story, and the other side has been making its case for months. Also, I like to make sure that I familiarize myself with the language before making a decision, as these ballot initiatives tend to be confusing and sometimes misleading.

Then this came on my television:

Did you see that? They invoked the Tuskegee Experiment. Maybe it's just me, but I think they did it for one reason: they hope to elicit a knee-jerk, emotional reaction from the many African-Americans they know will be voting in this state to help them defeat the proposal. Then, I find out that the ad is running in heavy rotation in the Detroit area, but not so much anywhere else in the state. Hmm...

Well, it worked on me, but not the way it was supposed to. I don't like to be manipulated. If I believe someone is trying to maneuver me into doing something, I will do the opposite just because. Before that commercial, I was willing to give the anti-Prop 2 folks a chance. Now, after that shameful, race-baiting, fear-mongering ad, I know I have to go with my first mind and vote 'yes' on Proposition 2.