Not sure where to put this so starting a new topic. I think this is a disgrace and a fucking joke. Loved to see what other people think. Should these type of ads be allowed?
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/us/po ... .html?_r=0
elections and race-baiting
Re: elections and race-baiting
I'm not sure. It's an interesting tactic because evidence suggests that fear more strongly motivates conservatives than liberals. Given that, either they're only going after "conservative democrats" (which doesn't fit with the content of the ads), or maybe there's reason to believe that when it's a cause they already believe in, fear can help motivate liberals to act on it. If that's the case, then although the use of fear-based tactics is something I find banal and dehumanizing, the current system of deregulated campaign finance seems to call for doing this sort of thing to actually win elections. If fund-raising is effectively unlimited, then campaigns are the equivalent of nothing more than market competitions. And we all know that corporations have known for a long time that it doesn't matter whether your product works, or your service is beneficial, if you aren't motivating people to actually pay for it. Which is why companies pay advertising agencies to manipulate people into paying for things using subliminal methods that involve the emotive parts of the brain. So why shouldn't the democrats play that game too? You could argue that they should "know better" because they're the party of ... well... something closer to reality... but the game's already stacked against them and selecting against the rational.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this kind of maneuver from democrats is the fault of deregulationist libertarians and republicans.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this kind of maneuver from democrats is the fault of deregulationist libertarians and republicans.
Re: elections and race-baiting
I guess what I'm trying to say is that this kind of maneuver from democrats is the fault of deregulationist libertarians and republicans. [/quote]
typical
[/quote]typical
Re: elections and race-baiting
That response doesn't suggest that I should lower my confidence in my assertion.
Obviously it's true that there could be "race-baiting" (if that even is what this is) in a reformed campaign environment, but frankly the explanation I gave makes a lot of sense, as far as I can tell. If campaigns weren't reduced to marketing drives by the likes of the Koch brothers (John Birch Society, etc), then it seems like: a) there'd be less money for audacious campaign ads like these, and b) there'd be less of a need to combat fear with fear, because the Republican fear-mongers would have less money too.
So yeah, still pretty sure that it's the fault of the deregulation brigade that this kind of shit goes on.
By your own admission, you're wondering whether this kind of thing "should be allowed". If it were "disallowed" isn't that the same as regulating campaign ads?
Obviously it's true that there could be "race-baiting" (if that even is what this is) in a reformed campaign environment, but frankly the explanation I gave makes a lot of sense, as far as I can tell. If campaigns weren't reduced to marketing drives by the likes of the Koch brothers (John Birch Society, etc), then it seems like: a) there'd be less money for audacious campaign ads like these, and b) there'd be less of a need to combat fear with fear, because the Republican fear-mongers would have less money too.
So yeah, still pretty sure that it's the fault of the deregulation brigade that this kind of shit goes on.
By your own admission, you're wondering whether this kind of thing "should be allowed". If it were "disallowed" isn't that the same as regulating campaign ads?
Re: elections and race-baiting
The linked ads are shameful but sadly not surprising (nothing's shocking). The tactics, moreover, are hardly exclusively those of Democratic Party candidates--something I assume we agree on. Until the States has total campaign finance reform (I'm for 100% public financing), it's hard to imagine anything that will discourage such base appeals.
Re: elections and race-baiting
tvrec wrote:The linked ads are shameful but sadly not surprising (nothing's shocking). The tactics, moreover, are hardly exclusively those of Democratic Party candidates--something I assume we agree on. Until the States has total campaign finance reform (I'm for 100% public financing), it's hard to imagine anything that will discourage such base appeals.
Both sides do shit like this agreed. I just saw this article over the weekend and thought that the ads were awful and yes shameful. In general I can't stand when ads just attack the other person and offer nothing about the person that is putting the ad out there. That to me just shows even they know that it's about the lesser of two evils. Show me why I should vote for you.
Since race has been a rather big topic these ads really stood out to me.
Re: elections and race-baiting
It should be obvious why "official parties" should have their campaigns financed by public funding and capped so as to prevent fear-mongering. But there are vested interests.tvrec wrote:The linked ads are shameful but sadly not surprising (nothing's shocking). The tactics, moreover, are hardly exclusively those of Democratic Party candidates--something I assume we agree on. Until the States has total campaign finance reform (I'm for 100% public financing), it's hard to imagine anything that will discourage such base appeals.
Re: elections and race-baiting
i'd love some laws limiting campaign waste the sheer amount of trash generated by elections is staggering...and i'm talking solely about paper product being delivered to my door/mailbox...so much heavy stock door hangers and mail flyers...fuck me i see you saying you are all about the environment on the tv when you are fucking polluting it irl