Mud slinging political adds

[sgeeeee]

Is it just me or are the negative, mud slinging political adds even more prevalent than normal? I've noticed here in Arizona that any time I turn the TV on, political adds seem to dominate the airwaves and every add is negative. As far as I can tell from the adds, the candidates do not claim to hold any beliefs themselves; but they assure me that their opponent's beliefs are deplorable. In at least a couple of races, both candidates accuse their opponent of the same deplorable stances.

We have about 2 dozen propositions on this year's ballot and even the adds for them seem to be attacks either on other propositions or on some group of people.

I sure wish I had better choices on the ballot.

 

[califdreamer]

It seems the state of our political discourse in this country was better in the past but it's been so long since I've seen or heard anything sensible or respectable in political advertising that I don't know if I believe that anymore. The consultants have figured out the hatchet jobs really work so that's what we get ad nauseum. I'd like to think we as citizens would be responsive to our need for "eternal vigilance" to support our democracy.... I suppose we get what we deserve. And it's not pretty.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

It seems the state of our political discourse in this country was better in the past but it's been so long since I've seen or heard anything sensible or respectable in political advertising that I don't know if I believe that anymore. The consultants have figured out the hatchet jobs really work so that's what we get ad nauseum. I'd like to think we as citizens would be responsive to our need for "eternal vigilance" to support our democracy.... I suppose we get what we deserve. And it's not pretty.

Perfect example........the Governor's race in Illinois. I'm a pretty old
guy and it beats all I ever saw.

JG

 

[maddythebeagle]

I thought that I heard everything....they have one playing on MN stations ....no issues...just ended saying that one candidate is a dirty liberal that her own party hates...

 

[Martha]

I thought that I heard everything....they have one playing on MN stations ....no issues...just ended saying that one candidate is a dirty liberal that her own party hates...

I don't watch network TV and I don't listen to commercial radio, so I am missing the political ads. But I am curiious. What Minnesota candidate is a dirty liberal her own party hates?

We had a Hatch for governor sign out front of our place. Someone stole it.

 

[Khan]

Is it just me or are the negative, mud slinging political adds even more prevalent than normal? I've noticed here in Arizona that any time I turn the TV on, political adds seem to dominate the airwaves and every add is negative. As far as I can tell from the adds, the candidates do not claim to hold any beliefs themselves; but they assure me that their opponent's beliefs are deplorable. In at least a couple of races, both candidates accuse their opponent of the same deplorable stances.

We have about 2 dozen propositions on this year's ballot and even the adds for them seem to be attacks either on other propositions or on some group of people.

I sure wish I had better choices on the ballot.

It's even more fun here in Ohio. Some contests are so close, money (and ads) are coming in from out of state.

Negative ads, responses to negative ads, pesponses to responses.

One negative ad says the candidate is not qualified to be Attorney General because he was a defense lawyer.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

One negative ad says the candidate is not qualified to be Attorney General because he was a defense lawyer.

Wow, that's a stretch. We've had actors as governors of major states
and even President.

Trivia question of the day................. Does anyone know what movie starred both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jessie Ventura?

JG

 

[Leonidas]

Trivia question of the day................. Does anyone know what movie starred both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jessie Ventura?

The Running Man - Ventura played one of the gladiators or whatever they were in that movie. I think he was the one that was a bad guy with a conscience.

Negative ads sometimes pay off. There have been a few local/state elections where I had a hard time picking between candidates who have never been elected before (no voting record to look at). Most of them all say "the right thing" on just about every issue. Of course they never say anything of substance - just the usual "I support ...." and never explain exactly how they are going to make that happen or where the money is going to come from. I don't accept the negative ads as they are aired, but at least it gave me a couple of things to go look at and see if they were true. I remember at least one race where it came down to "which one of these people is the least despicable?"

 

[youbet]

We have a Congressional race here where the mud slinging is at an all time high. We get fliers in the mail daily. They simply blast the opposition candidate without presenting their own views/qualifications at all!

The worse part is that all the information seems to be correct. Both candidates are the pits and everything the other says about them is true. Each seems to have spent his/her life building evidence for the other to use against them at this time! Each is indeed the scumbag the other accuses him/her of being.

Maybe that explains some of this negative campaigning. There is so much to be negative about!

 

[mja]

The Running Man - Ventura played one of the gladiators or whatever they were in that movie. I think he was the one that was a bad guy with a conscience.

They both starred in Predator as well.

 

[sgeeeee]

. . . The worse part is that all the information seems to be correct. Both candidates are the pits and everything the other says about them is true. Each seems to have spent his/her life building evidence for the other to use against them at this time! Each is indeed the scumbag the other accuses him/her of being.. .

Makes you want to run to the polls and vote, doesn't it?

 

[Leonidas]

They both starred in Predator as well.

Forgot about that one.

Makes you want to run to the polls and vote, doesn't it?

You're right about that. Sometimes I have to vote while holding my nose. But I admit that I believe that those who don't vote have poor ground to stand on when their elected officials' performance is less than satisfactory.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

They both starred in Predator as well.

Okay, we have a winner/winners. Next trivia question.........What line from
'Predator' was used as a book title and by whom?

JG

 

[sgeeeee]

Okay, we have a winner/winners. Next trivia question.........What line from
'Predator' was used as a book title and by whom?

JG

I can see that you are determined to hijack this thread away from political mudslinging, I just don't understand why. Do you not know how to start your own thread on movies? Let us know if you need help with that.

I'm still curious if all parts of the country are seeing the increase in pure mud slinging commercials.

 

[REWahoo]

 

[Mr._johngalt]

I can see that you are determined to hijack this thread away from political mudslinging, I just don't understand why. Do you not know how to start your own thread on movies? Let us know if you need help with that.

Sarcasm is best left to those who do it well.

JG

 

[sgeeeee]

Sarcasm is best left to those who do it well.

JG

If you meet someone who knows how to do that, please seek their help.

 

[Nords]

Forgot about that one.

Jesse's "I ain't got time to bleed!" was an instant military classic quote...

 

[Zathras]

They have been awful this year.
I have seen ads that do nothing but hammer on the opponent. And for the first time I can recall, an ad that not only implies, or misleads, but outright lies.

No accountability at all anymore. I would love to see 'fact-checkers' at live debates. So when someone lies, they are immediately called on it in front of the viewing audience (heck, ratings would probably go up).

I wish only one side did it, but both do and I don't see an end to it as it seems to work.

Sites like factcheck.org are rather interesting to read

 

[samclem]

A major reason for the avalanche of negative ads is the McCain-Feingold campaign "reform" law. Now big contributors start their own 527 organizations that can do anything except coordinate with the candidate they are supporting and use that candidate's name in their advertising. No restrictions on mudslinging against opposing canditates. Voila--a sure-fire recipe for increasing negative campaigning.

I sure can't see how this law is not a restriction of free speech. It sure hasn't done anything to clean up campaigns or to reduce the impact of money in politics as its supporters claimed it would.

 

[Mr._johngalt]

A major reason for the avalanche of negative ads is the McCain-Feingold campaign "reform" law. Now big contributors start their own 527 organizations that can do anything except coordinate with the candidate they are supporting and use that candidate's name in their advertising. No restrictions on mudslinging against opposing canditates. Voila--a sure-fire recipe for increasing negative campaigning.

I sure can't see how this law is not a restriction of free speech. It sure hasn't done anything to clean up campaigns or to reduce the impact of money in politics as its supporters claimed it would.

Good observation, and this law CLEARLY chips away at The First
Amendment. But, the whole Bill of Rights is under assault and
(as you regulars are painfully aware, I believe the BOR will
disappear eventually.
I'm talking as a practical useful document. It might still be on the books
but will be gutted (nutted?) Sorry, that slipped out.

JG

 

[Leonidas]

A week before the election and the floodgates at the mud damn have been opened wide! On the radio this morning it was one nasty attack ad after another. One was an ad for Rick Perry that was bashing Chris Bell as being "too liberal for Texas" It was a takeoff on the Budweiser "we salute you the real men of genius" commercials. Except in this version Bell is "saluted" as being "Mr. Way Too Liberal for Texas Guy".

I never thought much of Chris Bell before he ran for office and he never did anything as a city councilman of congressman that made me change that opinion. So, he's not in danger of losing my vote since he never had it anyway - but I wonder if ads like this affect how people vote.

Text of ad: http://www.perryvsworld.com/item/582
Audio Link (not working when I tried):http://www.rickperry.org/audio/MrWayTooLiberal.mp3

I think the ads are funny, and attention getting - but I'm not sure how much, if any, of it is true.

Edited to add this: I guess our mudslinging is tame compared to the rest of the country:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/casey/4294893.html

 

[kathyet]

I'm still curious if all parts of the country are seeing the increase in pure mud slinging commercials.

Hi Sgeeee,
Increase No... here in Las Vegas it has been that way for the past 10 years, maybe more, no one tells the truth they all lie, no one has an answer for anything and when they have an answer it is always about things they can't do anything about. There all mouth pieces !!!!! When they do get elected into office they end up getting caught with there fingers in the till. Not an honest one in the whole bunch...what is the saying "power corrupts...absolute power corrupts absolutely.." They usually say people forget but I don't, I hear them all repeating the same crap over and over and over again year after year after year... nothing changes...

Kathyet

 

[Goonie]

Perfect example........the Governor's race in Illinois.

It doesn't really matter whether Judy or Rod win the race....either way (IMHO) the peeps of IL lose! Neither one of them has said what they, themselves stand for or hope to accomplish if elected. They just keep telling us that the other one is the embodiment of evil. Well, DUH!!! We already knew THAT!!! They're politicians for cripes sake!!! All the election does here is determine which one will be our next elected convicted governor!!!

We ought to just get to go to the IDOC and choose an inmate for Gov, that way we get our crook and we don't have to pay all those court costs and attorney fees later on.....i.e. George "Lyin'" Ryan.

 

[Arc]

Negative ads are as part of American culture as baseball and apple pie. Been going on since the colonial times. Only one more week left. Then what we will we do?