This may seem intellectually lame, but I’ve decided to pretty much ignore everything being said about Medicare. Both sides are demagoguing the issue, and lying about it, and the fixes both sides propose don’t happen until far down the road. I’ve decided it’s impossible for an ordinary person, like me, to understand what’s really happening–and that what actually happens probably won’t resemble what the candidates propose.

So I’m just gonna ignore it all. When I reach Medicare age (which isn’t all that far away), my attitude is: whatever it is, it is. Both parties will probably use “Mediscare” tactics for the rest of my life. So, Mitt and Barack, talk about Medicare all you want. But I’m tuning you out.

Politifact has covered statements about Medicare rather extensively. Here’s a collection of statements made by both sides, and Politifact’s determination of their truthfulness (or lack thereof).

An interesting perspective from veteran reporter Michael Scherer on Time’s Swampland blog about the ugly political ads on both sides. It’s not an entirely satisfying observation, and it raises additional ethical questions and stuff that would be interesting to discuss. But still, it’s a thought-provoking observation which rings true to me, though simultaneously distasteful. Scherer, whose writing I’ve liked for some years now, also offers the beginnings of a solution.

“Let us just assume the following: Both politicians in the current race employ political professionals who are paid to use the most effective tactics in their business, often with little regard to ethical abstractions like fairness and honesty. This does not mean that neither candidate has a moral core. It only means that the behavior of his campaign is a poor gauge of his core and that both men, as presidential aspirants, have made peace with the idea that stretching the truth is a basic requirement of the game at this level.

“Now, this does not mean that the fibbing is acceptable. But if we remove the outrage, or at least minimize it, then maybe we can focus not just on the deceptions of the guy we don’t like but also on the deceptions of the guy we like. For in the end, there is only one thing that will force these candidates, their campaigns and supporters to hue a straighter line: Their own constituencies must object.”

John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, Reince Preibus, and various others have called for Todd Akin to give up his Senate race in Missouri, and outside funding groups have pulled their support. Kudos for these Republicans. Even extremists like Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, and Michelle Malkin agree that Akin needs to go.

But Akin says he’s staying in, and that, “By taking this stand, this is going to strengthen our country.” Can you spell e-g-o?

Akin put out an apology video saying, “Fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy.” Has anyone, EVER, had to publicly state that they do actually believe rape can cause pregnancy? One note of consolation: Stewart and Colbert are off this week.