
<p>In the 1970s, one of the more popular nonpartisan watch-dog organizations was the Fair Campaign Practices Committee (FCPC). ; It was run by Missouri journalism professor Sam Archibald. ; Today, it would be referred to as a fact-checking organization.</p>



<p>Basically, it would review campaign advertising and statements to determine if what was said is true. ; It would then issue public statements when it was determined that voters were being provided with misinformation – lies. ; As a preventative, candidates were asked to sign a Fair Campaign Practices Committee pledge. ; That was also widely publicized.</p>



<p>The FCPC also co-sponsored a Washington-based congressional internship program for journalism students intending to pursue political and public affairs reporting careers. ; Sear, Roebuck &; Co. was the other co-sponsor. ;  ;I am very familiar with the FCPC and the internship program because I was working in Sears’ Washington office with supervisory responsibilities over the programs.</p>



<p>One of the FCPC’s principal advice to voters was to ignore any new developments or accusations that arise in the last 30 days of a campaign – especially if they did not provide hard evidence and an adequate opportunity for a response. ; The Committee was concerned about statements and claims that could not be proven by those making the accusations – or disproved by those being accused.</p>



<p>As can be expected, we are seeing the concern of the FCPC playing out in today’s election – and as a voter, I will take the advice of the FCPC and ignore them. Here are two examples.</p>



<p><strong>General John Kelly</strong></p>



<p>The first is former White House Chief of Staff John Kelly’s sensational accusations that President Trump is a fascist – and an admirer of Adolph Hitler (or at least his generals). ; No matter what one may think of Kelly, and his service to the nation, the timing of his description of Trump raises suspicion.</p>



<p>He has not made such a public accusation for more than 7 years – and decided to go public only within days of the 2024 election? ; Apparently, Kelly did not feel honor bound to raise a concern when Trump ran in 2020. ; There can be no doubt that Kelly’s motivation was purely political – whether one believes him or not.</p>



<p>Trump denies saying such things – and others in the room support Trump’s denial. ; It is nothing more than a he said/he said situation. ; Folks can only choose to believe who they believe because there is no solid evidence one way or the other.</p>



<p>In a feeble attempt to give Kelly’s statement an appearance of credibility, a number of disgruntled former White House workers issued a statement that what the General said “sounds like” something Trump might have said. ; They are not corroborating the accusation because they, like you and I, were not in the room to hear it. ; Even if there was conversation regarding Hitler’s generals, we do not know the all-important context. ; What is Kelly’s spin – and there always is a spin.</p>



<p>While the anti-Trump media is giving Kelly’s statements maximum coverage and ; ; credibility, the fact-checker Snopes rates Kelly’s statements as “unproven.”</p>



<p>I do not know the truth in this situation, but I am very suspicious based on the timing. So, I will take the FCPC’s advice and disregard the entire subject as having no relevancy</p>



<p><strong>Stacey Williams</strong></p>



<p>One time professional model Stacey Williams claims that she was “groped” by Trump in his office in the presence of sexual pervert Jeffery Epstein. ; Unlike the Kelly claim – which I disregard because I simply do not know the truth – I will disregard this because I consider Williams’ story to be overly hyped &#8230; exaggerated &#8230; or even a lie &#8212; purely for partisan political reasons. ; At least Kelly can make some claim to personal credibility. ; Not Williams.</p>



<p>According to Williams, the “groping” involved Trump rubbing his hands along her side and toward her buttocks. ; (That sounds like what wheelchair-bound President George H.W. Bush is alleged to have done to writer Christina Baker Kline while posing for a photograph alongside his wife and in the presence of security, staff and photographers. ; But I digress.)</p>



<p>Williams said this happened while Epstein – who she was dating at the time – was watching. ; Watching what? ; Her getting a friendly (or even an overly friendly) pat on the posterior? ; Williams claims that she felt like she was brought there as a “piece of meat”. ; Does she mean that Epstein and Trump had connived to entice her to Trump’s office so she could have her butt pinched while her weirdo boyfriend watched? ; Sounds like Williams is making a mountain out of a molehill – or in this case a butte out of a butt.</p>



<p>When you consider that Willims is a longtime Democrat activist &#8212; a Harris supporter, who recently attended the Vice President’s “survivor” event &#8212; the entire thing sounds too contrived. I cannot imagine that a pat on the butt 30 years ago qualifies her as a “survivor”. Maybe something more serious occurred in her lifetime, but nothing like that was revealed. But she did talk about the incident with Trump as if it was traumatic. </p>



<p>Do not expect this story to end up in court. ; It would get thrown out &#8212; even in New York. ; It is so bad that it is shameful that media types would even air it – and no fact checking. ; Instead, today’s journalists give the accusations inordinate coverage for their own partisan political purposes.</p>



<p>If you take the FCPC’s wise advice, you will toss these bits of last minute political chicanery in your mental recycle bin and pay more attention to really important issues – the issues that really affect you..  ;</p>



<p>Unfortunately, we do not have a Fair Campaign Practices Committee to objectively monitor campaign narratives – and to constantly remind us that last minute unsubstantial accusations should be dismissed out of hand. ; But we can still take its advice to ignore unsubstantiated election-eve accusations.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Time to ignore last minute campaign rhetoric and vote
