In the article “What Strategies Promote Fair Political Campaigns?” from the book Political Campaigns, Darrell M. West, a correspondent from CNN, states that when negative attack ads are deceptive, they undermine the political process. West acknowledges that attack ads that focus on the issues are appropriate and inevitable. Though, West adds that misleading ads that twist the truth, lie about candidates, or take statements out of context, threaten the electoral system. “ Attack ads . . . have twisted the truth, lied about personal background, taken statements out of context, and clearly sought out to manipulate voter sentiments,” says West. Numerous arguments exist if attack ads should be commonplace in the political process. There are many …show more content…
The first argument that supports this idea is that attack ads have created distrust between politicians and their constituents. ThisNation.com published the article “Do negative attack ads work?” which mentions that a study was conducted that showed 59% of the population believes that all or most candidates deliberately twist the truth in their attack ads. This in turn has caused constituents to be weary about politicians because many feel that at every moment in some way or another the are being lied to or mislead. This argument is further supported in the ThisNation.com because of those surveyed 67% of people say they can trust the government in Washington only some of the time or never. The findings in this study are a cause for concern because it shows that as attack ads have gotten more negative the more constituents distrust politicians and the political process. The second argument that supports this notion is that attack ads have created an atmosphere for political manipulation. Journalist Darrell M. West discussed in the article “ 2008 campaign attack ads hit an all-time low” from CNN.com that while attacks ads have existed since the creation of the United States. That the 2008 presidential election had taken a turn for the worst. West states, “Attack ads broadcasted . . . have twisted the truth, lied about personal …show more content…
One side makes the claim that negative attack ads contribute to a healthier democracy and are a positive aspect of the political process. While the other side makes the argument that negative attack ads create distrust between constituents and their politicians and also can create an atmosphere for political manipulation. While both sides have had substantial support from experts it seems that the debate will continue on whether negative attack ads should be commonplace in the political
Since then, commercials have all had a similar format, appealing to your emotions, showing you why you need it. Emphasis is put on you rather than their products, and how much some products sold is unreal. This growth in the market for those advertised products isn’t refutable, and obviously politicians realized this technique works because they started using it too. There’s little doubt in my mind that it works for politicians just as much as it works for multi-million dollar corporations. Emphasis on emotional appeal rather than reason and logic is a big theme in this chapter, and Postman is correct in making it one because it is undeniably what changes our view on politics
From the perspective of a candidate, the main goal of a political campaign is to win votes. Politicians use campaign propaganda to help achieve that goal. There are six primary strategies used in campaign propaganda: stacking the deck; testimonials/endorsements; plain folks; negative ads; glittering generalities; and guilt by association/coat-tailing. A campaign is measured by its effectiveness, whether it is informative, and if it is ethical.
The purpose or intended goal of incorporating negative television advertisements can be speculative, but a strong argument can be made for their use to improve or at least deflect attention from an incumbent president’s low approval ratings. As LoGiurato indicates, “Typically, Gallup has found, incumbent presidents with 50 percent approval ratings or above are easily re-elected for a second term” (LoGiurato, 2012). But according to a Gallup Poll of 1,001 registered voters, Bill Clinton held an approval rating of 56 percent while incumbent President Bush held an approval rating of 37 percent (New York Times, 1992). Low and declining approval ratings due to President Bush’s broken promise of ‘no new taxes’ made at the 1988 Republican National Convention appear to have limited his options in terms of campaign strategy. This challenge provided a
As during any election cycle, nearly all types of media are currently flooded with campaign advertisements that viciously attack various candidates’ politics, character, or sometimes both. People are willing to go to extraordinary lengths in order to gain power over others. This is likely due to the fact that everyday citizens are so susceptible to influence from those above them. As demonstrated in World War II, individuals are extremely susceptible to impact from authority figures.
That is one reason why the public has come to reject the idea of the Super PACs. It has the turned the political campaign into a shallow, reality television, mud-slinging type of contest from which the candidates can never return. The ads being run in the newspapers, television, and radio stations cost these candidates and Super PACs money that could have been used for better political means such as contributions to charitable organizations by the candidates or their support groups on their behalf. That sort of act would have had a greater political impact upon the voting public than an ad campaign explaining the ills of Newt Gingrich. Even more sickening, is the fact that most of the candidates will feign knowledge of participation in any negative campaign movements because of the independent nature of the Super PACs. The candidate can deny any involvement in the act all the while coordinating with his Super PAC under the radar of mass media. These negative campaigns leave the candidate free and clear of any involvement as all the Super PAC has to do is run the ad with a clear disclaimer absolving the candidate the ad supports of any wrong doing because the ad was not sanctioned by the candidate or political party.
When candidates develop a plan of attack for campaign advertising, they tend to aim for at least four types of commercials. One form or type of commercial is those which play on the fears of countrymen. Fear
The ads represent a growing trend in campaign finance. These ads cause more negativity and are directed towards the election campaigns and the candidates.
In this day and age, political advertisements are stretched to the limits of toleration. Many of them focus more on the shortcomings of their opponents rather than the ideas and plans they have for the country. Often, the ads are nothing more than superficial smears aiming to tarnish the image of the target nominee. If the ads where kept cleaner and were more focused on important
The government and politicians also uses rhetoric the opposite direction. The produce videos that try to get us to buy into their propaganda. Look at the many different political ads right now. Why does it matter to me if a politician has castrated hogs? Also I see ads for Obamacare. I have health insurance. Why are they still trying to sell me on this health plan?
In the 2012 Presidential election, the majority of outside spending was a result of the Citizens United decision1. The unique increase of money translated into an increase in television ads, radio ads, and direct mailings. Unfortunately, the large increase in political rhetoric caused a move to political extremes rivaling those at the end of the Civil War2. It explains that micro-targeting of advertising allowed corporations and Super PACS to create echo chambers, where only points of view in agreement with the audience were expressed. Polarization was an issue before the Citizens United ruling, but the unique increase in rhetoric caused the “worst polarization in 120 years.
An assumption of representation is that an elected representative is an agent who expresses district preferences in legislative activities. Voters have preferences, but do not know which candidates in the election best aligns with these preferences; therefore, campaign communications and advertisements are important avenues that help highlight congruence of preferences between a candidate’s and voter’s positions (Krupnikov, 2011). This new electoral environment after Citizens United now has more independent campaign expenditures going toward election communications on behalf of candidates than in previous elections (Federal Election Commission, 2015). This new campaign environment includes three primary entities of outside spending: Super PACs, traditional Political Action Committees, and political parties.
Lawn signs, television advertisements, billboards, and political rallies are some of the key components of a successful political campaign. A political campaign is an organized effort which seeks to influence the democratic public that is voting for its elected officials. These seemingly trifling parts of a campaign cost money. Money equals power, is the political mantra in today’s society. Campaigning can cost millions of dollars, and it is logical to believe that only those with the means have the ability to participate in the race for leadership. In a democratic society such as ours, every person has the right to vote and stand up for what they believe is right. Every person, from Donald Trump to the regular middle class citizen,
The mexican culture has gone through tremendous transformation over the past year, so it varies throughout the country. Here is some information about the main customs and traditions across mexico.
The term motivation is critical in improving someone’s health and wellbeing because motivation is the reason why someone would take part in sports or exercise. There are many models of motivation and behavioural change but we will focus on one called Trans-theoretical model. The model’s main focus is to explain the processes that might lead a person to exercise. The TM has five stages that a person goes through.