Identical facts, different perspectives

At 10:47 a.m. Tuesday, we received a copy of a message from Joe Walsh to his supporters in which the McHenry Republican says “we remain absolutely confident in our victory” and vows “we are diligently prepared to defend against any attempt to steal last week's victory away from us.”

The victory he claims is the one in his race for Congress against incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean of Barrington. As of this writing, Walsh holds a 347-vote lead that is so narrow The Associated Press won't project a winner. The final figures won't be known until next Tuesday at the earliest, when Lake and McHenry counties tally their absentee votes.

In his 10:47 a.m. message to his “friends,” Walsh predicts those remaining ballots likely will split his way and actually increase his margin of victory.

At 10:53 a.m. Tuesday, we received a copy of a message from Bean's campaign in which spokeswoman Gabby Adler says, “Now, more than ever, this race remains too close to call,” and adds, “We remain encouraged by the favorable results we've seen (with the absentee vote tally) in suburban Cook County.”

In the message, Adler says Bean's performance in winning almost 70 percent of the Cook County absentee vote suggests she'll win the Lake and McHenry absentee vote by the same margin (and thereby close the gap).

Two candidates. One set of facts. Two completely different perspectives on what those facts mean.

Perhaps the question isn't so much who's right and who's wrong as it is, why are these people still campaigning?

The election is over; it's just that the votes haven't been counted. There are no more voters to be persuaded. What's to be accomplished by continuing to mouth off about their vested interests?

Can't they give it a rest until we all see what the final numbers show?

It only goes to illustrate that reflexively, politicians twist the facts, no matter the reason, to suit their interests.

This is what they do, and we all know that this is what they do.

And yet, when Sarah Palin accuses some in the Alaska news media of being “corrupt bastards” out to get her favored Senate candidate, a certain segment of us believe her because we want it to be true.

When the Illinois Democratic Party funds a campaign mailer on behalf of state Rep. Mark Walker of Arlington Heights that says Walker stands up to party leaders, a certain segment of us believe it because we want it to be true.

This is the fundamental difference between politicians and the press.

This is why the press matters.