With two months until November 2, only the biggest political junkies aren’t sick of the presidential race. Thankfully, last night there was refuge for television viewers from the campaign rhetoric— the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards. Who cares about the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth when we can see Jessica Simpson sink intelligence standards to the Blondest Common Denominator?

But in these partisan days, not even the VMAs sit on the political sidelines. Last week, the awards show accidentally showed its political colors in an effort to look like a champion against hate speech.

According to CNN, last Wednesday MTV decided to pull the Jamaican star Beenie Man from the show’s lineup after Miami gay activists announced plans to protest the show over his past lyrics, such as “I’m dreaming of a new Jamaica, come to execute all the gays” and “Queers must be killed.”

Although MTV made the right move in dumping this scumbag (since lyrics about genocide can hardly be interpreted as tongue-in-cheek), it does not deserve a pat on the back. MTV has never stood up for other groups receiving similar defamation.

MTV did not disown Justin Timberlake after the famous Super Bowl “wardrobe malfunction,” an insult to women everywhere. In addition, this year’s VMA lineup included artists like Nelly, whose videos are borderline pornographic.

Not only do these artists receive no backlash for their misogyny, they might actually win an award for it.

MTV dropped Beenie Man as a liberal political statement, not out of ideals. If MTV really had ideals, Beenie Man wouldn’t be the only one dropped from the VMAs. But so what if MTV leans toward the left? What difference can a network with shows like “Pimp My Ride” make in the political world?

The answer is plenty. This station may have a bigger influence on the presidential election than Fox News and CNN combined.

MTV is committed to raising up an army of young voters. With its “Choose or Lose” campaign, their goal is to pack 20 million 18 to 30-year-olds in the voting booths this November. And if anyone can move this apathetic age range to vote, MTV can. It’s the highest rated cable channel among young males ages 18 to 25.

It doesn’t want to recruit just any voter, it wants to fill the ranks of a specific party. Take a look at MTV’s political history and try to guess its game plan.

When Clinton won the White House in 1992 and 1996, MTV hosted an inaugural celebration. It didn’t extend the same favor to Bush in 2000.

In March 2004, MTV aired “Choose or Lose: John Kerry,” essentially an hour-long Kerry commercial. It was a fair trade-off: Kerry spread his message to young voters while MTV looked like a non-biased public servant. Again, MTV forgot to send a similar memo to Bush.

A point and click to MTV’s Choose or Lose Web site shows tour dates for the “Vote for Change Tour,” in which Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, Bright Eyes and other MTV darlings will rock against Bush in several key swing states this October.

The Web site also features an article offering a less-than-objective refutation of the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth.

However, there is salvation for young independents.

MTV won’t have the field of young voters to itself forever. This fall, a new network aimed at young conservatives, called the University Network, is going on the air. The University Network features shows like “The W Show,” a docu-series based on President Bush’s 2004 campaign, and at least two military-themed reality shows.

The University Network faces the uphill battle of making Dick Cheney and the GOP seem hip and sexy. However, the fact the network exists shows MTV needs a counter-balance.