Well, Labor Day has come and gone and, sure enough, it’s political advertising time again. It’s my least favorite time of year.
I hate political advertising. I also hate most politicians, but that’s a different blog.
Political advertising is either too warm and fuzzy or sharper and more menacing than the teeth on my pit terrier, Mick. I just happened to see one for Andrew Cuomo, who is running for New York State Attorney General. In the commercial, we see a series of newspaper clippings which absolutely skewer his opponent, Mark Green, as being either a "perennial candidate," "useless" or "successful at only one thing: dividing New Yorkers." Nice. The spot then goes on to show positive quotes about Cuomo, portraying him as the greatest thing since sliced bread.
This stuff disgusts me. Am I supposed to feel good about some candidate because he runs a TV spot that slams the living hell out of an opponent? I realize this has been going on forever, dating back to the days of Adams and Jefferson, but I believe things are reaching new lows with some of the attack ads we’re seeing nowadays.
What does it say about a candidate when he or she authorizes brutal TV commercials? What does it say about an electorate which goes ahead and votes for the pit bull candidate anyway? Maybe we really do get the candidates we deserve. And, maybe offensive advertising is one of the many reasons so many Americans have abandoned voting completely.
All I can do is register my feelings by picking up the remote control and switching to another channel. I hate to admit it, but the brutally nasty political ads make, say, the Geico spots, seem like a breath of fresh air in comparison.
You’re right, Repman, it’s a disgusting turn of events.
Yesterday my sister astutely pointed out that being forced to choose between Andrew “The Neandrathal” Cuomo and Mark “Everybody’s wanted to beat me up since grade school” Green can only succeed in alienating everyone except the most committed special interest voter.
I remember an old bumper sticker that (sadly) seems all too true now:
“Don’t vote, it only encourages them.”
I’d like to see a politician refuse to do any negative campaigning at all. Many politicians have pledged it I’m sure, but most probably lose sight of it once the gloves come off.
I wonder if that politician would win, though.
I think we’ve become accustomed to, and almost expect, mudslinging in the media. It’s the McDonald’s drive thru of political campaigns when it comes down to it. Candidates get their main platforms across, jab their opponents, and we, the public, get a glimpse of each candidate without all the legwork of watching debates or trying to keep up with all of the political wrangling on our own. It’s much simpler to vote for a candidate with flashy ads than to actually listen to the platforms he/she stands for.
I would say political muckraking was worse back in the day. For instance, people accused president Jackson of being a bigamist and
Alexander Hamilton of having an affair with a married woman. you dont really see that kind of stuff anymore…