It's great to finally be back. The computer has been repaired and TheSolidSurfer.com is primed and ready to go. Unfortunately, though, I have to start over on several intended posts, including the election analysis. In the meantime, however, guest contributor Rabbi Shea Hecht provides a much needed perspective on a key aspect of the election process:
Eight To One
by Rabbi Shea Hecht
Growing up with a father involved in the political scene has had at least one benefit. Because I’ve been exposed to and involved in politics from such a young age, there is little in the political arena that can surprise me. Yet, this week something did.The AP tells us that in these election weeks, hundreds of millions of dollars was spent on advertising. This alone didn’t shock me. What shocked me was that $160 million of those dollars was spent on negative advertising about the candidates opponent as opposed to $17 million spent on advertising what the candidate himself can offer his constituents if voted in.
Not only that, but according to the Federal Election Commission, 54 percent more money was spent on this campaign than in the 2004 campaign, and the ads are decidedly more negative.
For a moment, let’s forget about what this says about the candidates themselves. For better or for worse, it’s human nature to knock an opponent. In fact, it’s a character trait that many people have to work on. That politics is dirty is also a given. I can tell you it’s been that way for as long as I remember – and much longer than that.
Each time there is a primary race I am truly fascinated. The candidates bash each other to no end and when one wins they all back the winner in the upcoming election. I sometimes feel like asking the losers, “You just finished weeks of telling me what an absolute horror government will look like if this person is in office, now you are telling me to vote for him instead of his opponent?”
Politics can also be nasty in the reverse. Recently, at a meeting with Senator Joe Lieberman, he pointed out that the day before the primary he was praised by all his colleagues and the next day when he lost the primary the very same people were critical.
So it isn’t the negativity itself that bothers me. The thing that bothers me though is this. What does this say about us – the ones who read and watch these ads? Advertising is aimed at a willing-to-listen voter. Candidates pay this much for advertising, because the advertising works. The fact that there is such a disparity in the amount of money spent on advertising, means that we are buying into negative advertising and making a decision that impacts us based on a candidate’s negative spin of his opponent. The advertising dollars - eight to one on the dollar - with candidates telling us how horrid, terrible, dishonest and crooked their opponents are, is also a reflection of who we are. They reflect what we buy into and the reflection is not a pretty one.
If someone was told 8 negative statements for every positive one, we would be horrified with the “emotional abuse” and “negative atmosphere” that is created. I think that by buying into the negative advertising and not demanding every politician say what he can do for his constituents, we are helping to create a negative atmosphere.
We are not always aware of the consequences of some of our actions and as a result we fail to change them. Now that we have been made aware that $8.00 is spent for negative advertising as opposed to $1.00 towards positive we can send our politicians a message. If you can do something positive for your constituents tell us, if not we don’t want to hear what you have to say.
TheSolidSurfer.com responds: Rabbi, thank you for yet another excellent piece. Negative campaign ads have become so ubiquitous that we often overlook their potentially devastating impact on both elections and ourselves. Unfortunately the 2006 cycle was no exception, and these messages likely have influenced the entire political atmosphere for the worse. Hopefully, though, this culture can be reformed, and that, I believe, can become a key part of anyone's strategy to win in 2008.
So what's next for politics in America? I intend to provide my best prediction(s) in the upcoming posts.
