OPINIONS
Legend's View:
Negative advertising tries to swing voters in one direction
Political campaigns most of the time include negative advertising. Even though citizens and voters may say that those commercials that are personal attacks do not help conclude who they vote for, the commercials are still being made.
Then why does negative advertising and campaigning persist and continue to become more ruthless? Is it because the campaigners are really that cruel and are serious about offending each other or does it continue because the negativity does effect how voters vote?
Campaigning these days seems to be merciless and cold blooded. Rumors, gossip, scandal, humiliation and dishonor seems to be forcing it’s way through onto the public’s T.V. and computer screens instead of what the candidates actually have to offer. Degradation seems to be the “issue” candidates want the voters to hear.
Is that what “winning” is now? Rather than actually proving that you are a better fit for the job at hand than your opponents it seems they want us to vote for the candidates who have the least amount of scandal and personal problems. Or at least the candidate who digs up the most dirt in the other candidates.
Webster’s Dictionary defines “win” as “to succeed by striving or effort, to gain victory and overcome adversary, to reach a goal by effort, through labor, competition and conquest.” How many political campaigns would be described as “conquests through labor”?
We find ourselves striving to live a life without worry, tears, pain and heartbreak as much as possible. But we cannot even begin to comprehend how to be perfect, free from any issue in life. Everyone will make mistakes and have anguish in their lives. Times when almost anything seems okay; we date someone that turns out to be a bad idea, run a red light, miss the trash can when tossing some garbage in the receptacle, are tempted to cheat, say something that we shouldn’t have. We cannot live perfectly, why expect our political leaders to? Granted, if the candidate is struggling so much in their personal life, maybe they should not hold the job they are seeking. However, the facts will speak for themselves. The public can spot a fake.
Negative advertising is just something that will happen. But when is it appropriate? When a negative ad concentrates on something out of line or so far off of the topics of what voters might consider to be relevant and fair, the effects just might be opposite of what was intended by the person advertising.
Either way, the voters are the final judges of what is fair and appropriate in a political campaign, because they will decide the winner. In the end, the voters just may start voting on who had the most cutthroat commercials or who really dug deep to find the scandal and portray a campaign of personal attacks against the other candidates.
A “winner” is someone who appropriately shows why they are better than the other. When campaigns focus on the issues, the real winner will stand out because they will not have to hide behind scandal and rumor about their compitition. They will be so strongly supported by the fact that they have what it takes.