Honesty in Political Ads

Au, thanks so much for the website. More people should check it out. Not liberal. Not conservative. Just about the facts.

Question: Isn't there something like that which details what organizations contribute to what candidates and in what amounts? Like, if I wanted to know how much a particular company donated to Bush or Kerry, I could look it up?

Yes, it is an excellant site. Great to weed thru the spin that both sides will put out there about their candidate.

JustanObserver- I know that it is around, but I haven't found it yet. In the meantime......................

http://www.fundrace.org/

Think that this is what you want:

http://www.opensecrets.org/overview/topcontribs.asp?cycle=2004

Phoenix, if I had a hat, I'd tip it to you. Thanks.

Didn't mean to hijack the thread, Au.

Now, back to "honesty in political ads"...

Isn't that an oxymoron????

Damn straight, Phoenix.


Something about this bothers me in particular. I understand that commercials only run from :30 to a minute or so (making it tough to get a point across), but EVERY political commercial seems to overdo it.

While alot of the issues brought up in these commercials can be the subject of "spin" one way or another, it totally defeats the purpose when some simple research or whatnot reveals such absurd bias. I know when I see crap like that, it makes me dislike the politician who paid for the commercial even more.

There is plenty of stuff they can say that is JUST the truth and can't be explained any other way. Why can't they just stick to that?

For example, I remember seeing some ad about Kerry and the Patriot Act that almost said that Kerry was damn near an advocate for the destruction of this country and a supporter of terrorism. Come on, now. Turns out that he was only against certain parts of the PA, for whatever reason. Both sides are guilty of this kind of bullsh-t, but that one in particular stuck in my head.

Do these people responsible for such ads really think the American populace is THAT stupid? I certainly hope not. Come to think of it, I sure hope the populace isn't that stupid (but from what I see/read with each passing day, my hopes get dimmer and dimmer).

JustanObserver



Yes ,yes a thousand times yes. The American people are both politically lazy and ignorant. The ads have a telling effect. If they did not would hundreds of millions of $ be spent on them?

Thanks, that's a good site!
And yeah, more and more I believe that many Americans are just plain ignorant and happy to be so. Even of the less-than-half who actually bother to vote, a great deal of them just listen to the spin.
Very simplistic.

I don't get it. If political ads had to be honest, what would be the point?

Oh, Roger...!
to let us know what they think, what they plan, etc.
That's all we need, anyway, right?

To find out what they think we want to hear, you mean?

Honesty and politics mix as well as oil and water. The ads skirt being libelous by mixing a touch of truth with a great deal of exaggeration, innuendo, conjecture, and extrapolation.

Ooh, Roger, you cynic!
You can't even envision the ideal!
You're probably right, too.

Sorry, suzy. My premis is that anyone wanting to be a politician above the local level has to be nuts. It follows that the choices are between one nut and the other.

It's pretty sad, the way the system has become perverted. Truly, I think it always was a bit skewed, yet we're just now admitting it.
Ever see "Bullworth"?

Going Negative: When It Works
By JIM RUTENBERG and KATE ZERNIKE
Voters may say they want candidates to stay positive, but
in truth, they respond more readily to attack ads.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/22/weekinreview/22zern2.html?th

MORE BUSH CONNECTIONS TO SMEAR ADS

While aides to President Bush continue to claim "we weren't involved in any
way in these ads"[1] against Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) by Swift boat vets, more
evidence emerged yesterday to disprove those denials.

First, the Washington Post reports that a "top lawyer in President Bush's
reelection campaign acknowledged that he has been advising the veterans
group." Benjamin L. Ginsberg, the "chief outside counsel to the Bush
campaign" admitted "I've done some work for" the Swift Boat Veterans for
Truth.[2] Ginsberg has long been a top adviser to Bush. The LA Times reports
he represented the Bush campaign in 2000 and became a prominent figure
during the Florida recount. In the current presidential campaign, his law
firm has been paid $256,635 for his services[3] by the Bush campaign. That
figure does not include any cash Ginsberg made in his work with the Swift
Boat Veterans.

Additionally, the Dallas Morning News yesterday reported that the man
bankrolling the smear ads is hosting President Bush's top political adviser
at a fundraiser in New York during the Republican National Convention.
Robert Perry, the top Bush-Cheney fundraiser who is financing the Swift Boat
Veterans for Truth ads, "is listed as the co-host" of an event whose guest
list includes Karl Rove on September 1.[4]

This news follows revelations earlier this week that one of the veterans
smearing Kerry in the ads is actually a member of the Bush-Cheney
campaign.[5] It also follows news that the Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters
in Florida is distributing fliers promoting the group smearing Kerry.[6]

Sources:

1. "Press Gaggle by Scott McClellan," WhiteHouse.gov, 8/20/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=3382691&l=52004.
2. "Bush-Cheney Lawyer Advised Anti-Kerry Vets," Washington Post, 8/25/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=3382691&l=52005.
3. "Bush Lawyer Also Advises Anti-Kerry Veterans," LA Times, 8/25/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=3382691&l=52006.
4. "Kerry critic listed as fund-raiser's co-host," Dallas Morning News,
8/23/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=3382691&l=52007.
5. "Bush Misleads on Connection to Smear Campaign," Misleader.org, 8/23/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=3382691&l=52008.
6. "Swift Boat member skips rally over fliers at Bush campaign office,"
Miami Herald, 8/22/04,
http://daily.misleader.org/ctt.asp?u=3382691&l=52009.