by Carol Lloyd
Member since:
October 26, 2006

Poll for the day question Negitive TV ads and the November General Election

August 20, 2008 05:57 AM EDT
views: 65 | comments: 22
How much good do you think these ads do?  Or are the for the most part a waste of money?
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Comments: 22

Carol Lloyd Aug 20, 2008, 6:00am EDT
First by now most voters have already made their minds up. Second I can believe anyone would take these ads a face value and not research their authenticity. And finally they are a huge waste of money better spent the in communities where they originate. So in closing I really dont think they do very much good.
David K. Aug 20, 2008, 6:31am EDT
People seem susceptible to them. Those who think, discount them. Those who don't think, swallow them whole.
Tanzanite S. Aug 20, 2008, 7:41am EDT
I don't watch that much television but I agree with Phyllis the media will talk about ads endlessly.
Jennifer H. Aug 20, 2008, 7:54am EDT
The ads target people who haven't already made up their minds about who their voting for. The candidates attempt to discredit the character and ability of their opponents in order to gain a leg up and capture a portion of the swing votes. Sometimes these adds give truthful information, other times the truth is exaggerated in a way that make the opponent look bad. These ads can be affective tools, but personally I'd rather hear why I SHOULD vote for a particular person over the other, rather than why I should not vote for the opposing person.
Kim J. Aug 20, 2008, 8:17am EDT
There's actually, according to the polls, at least 10-15% of the people who are still undecided.
Negative ads work in the US just because so many of us love gossip and thinking bad about others. We don't want to actually think about things...discuss, debate, research--no, we want little sound bytes--he's a muslim, he'll raise taxes, he's "different", he's "arrogant", he's "scary"...I sometimes wonder if at least half of America is just too lazy to listen or actually figure out the truth.
Carol Lloyd Aug 20, 2008, 8:28am EDT
they majority of those targeted have made theirs minds up and the rest for the most part are not registered voters so again why?
Carol Lloyd Aug 20, 2008, 8:28am EDT
OH go vote for my summer pic lol
http://www.gather.com/viewImage.jsp?fileId=3096224744877803
Bill's Spirit Aug 20, 2008, 9:19am EDT
Well, "attack" ads are promoted for purposes other than just swinging the swing voters. They are quite often published to shore up and reassure the base(s).

Such as McCain's attack ads that keep trying to say: "See, Obama really is hollow, really doesn't know anything about wielding government powers, really is JUST a celebrity. Not ready to lead."

Obama's "attack" ads, on the other hand, seem to point to specific policy and voting actions taken by McCain rather than pointing at any personal experience or character trait that might be publicly exploitable. The ads from the Obama camp, the ones I see being labeled "attack" ads in the media, seem more like political contrast ads rather than "attack" ads. They point at work related topics, not personal topics.
Dolly Madison Aug 20, 2008, 10:08am EDT
I don't think they do any good. But they work. People are prone to make decisions based on fear, and if you can get 'em scared enough, they'll vote for anybody (see 2004).
Pamela O. Aug 20, 2008, 10:31am EDT
I actually can't stand them. I do not believe what they say because they always only take the part of the situation they want and exploit it. For example, they will bring up the voting record of one of the candidates and say he voted against an important issue, but they fail to mention if the issue was tagged onto another item they voted on. Gosh I am not sure if that makes sense. But I seriously dislike them!
louis a. Aug 20, 2008, 11:01am EDT
They work. Look at the record.
Dan H. Aug 20, 2008, 11:02am EDT
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Kay M. Aug 20, 2008, 11:36am EDT
I''m afraid that negative ads do work because I hear people parrot them as if they were gospel. When John McCain ran against George Bush in the 2000 primary I felt so bad about the Rovian attacks on him. Now his campaign is using similar tactics. I'm really disgusted with him.
Edward W. Aug 20, 2008, 5:34pm EDT
It's quite apparent that this type of ad does absolutely no good at all.

They must be effective, though, as they're still widely used. But, as mentioned above, they're blatantly deceiving due to their nature of exaggeration and misrepresentation of a perceived character flaw with the opposed candidate. Typically, the supposed flaw is not a negative trait when put into the proper perspective.
Brian T. Aug 20, 2008, 7:43pm EDT
Sadly negative ads do the job and things are going to get very nasty in the near future. I think a storm is brewing.
J R B. Aug 21, 2008, 2:54pm EDT
I think I turn my hearing off to most of them. Except on the news I heard that Hillary was stepping up as Obama is Canadian born. The commentator said, "Is there any truth in this?"
Marie J. R. Aug 21, 2008, 4:19pm EDT
they are an aggravating waste,,, Hugs my dear,,,
Carol Lloyd Aug 22, 2008, 8:52am EDT
thanks for sharing this with me
Austin Cushing Aug 22, 2008, 1:51pm EDT
I think they're mostly designed to try to convince people not to vote at all.
Wilma D. Aug 25, 2008, 7:35am EDT
Do they do good? Absolutely not. Are they effective? Apparently. Remember Willie Horton? I don't see many since I live in a red state that neither candidate bothers to advertise to. I have to seek them out on the internet if I want to see them--which usually I don't.
Sandra T. Aug 25, 2008, 9:20am EDT
I don't watch them so I don't know if they do any good or not.
Diane "stormyz" B. Aug 28, 2008, 9:00pm EDT
I don't watch the ads because they have nothing of substance in them.

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