TV ads and political apathy
A little background: I’ve been without cable for years. Furthermore, I can count on a single hand the number of times I’ve watched local television channels in the past four years.
With several important local races looming, I decided to hook up basic cable in order to watch the local news. I was prepared for the multitudes of political ads.
Or at least, so I thought.
I had no idea of the onslaught that awaited me. The tsunami of constant bombardment - accusation, rebuttal, redirect - the never ending drone of the voice overs. I consider myself an avid consumer of political information. If this was too much even for me, how does the normal voter react to the flood? Especially considering the vast majority of the ads are negative. Keith Ellison knows exactly how they react:
“I’m more convinced than ever that negative campaigning is wrong, and it shouldn’t be done, and I’m proud that I haven’t done it. It’s inherently a voter suppression tactic. If I smear you, your voters aren’t going to vote for me, they’re just not going to vote. We should be trying to bring people into the electorate, not drive them away.
Most of you have noticed that my blogging frequency has fallen. I hate to say it, but in the waning days of the election the apathy has gotten to me. I instead have been focusing on my career and my aspirations to enter a graduate program.
My political memory is frighteningly short. It is highlighted by the distraction of the Lewinsky scandal, the perversion of the 2000 Presidential Election, Wellstone’s death and the 2002 electoral bloodbaths and the soul-crushing disappointment of Bush’s re-election in 2004. Last year was a good year, on a local level. And 2006? You can’t blame me if I’m a little jaded on the political process.
There are not many bright spots, politically speaking.
Even at the cusp of a historical political re-alignment I am suspicious of the capacity for real change. We should all remember that November 7th isn’t the end - it is the beginning of a possibility for real change. Well, the apathy ends today. None of us who simultaneously see the flaws of our government with its awesome potential for good can pass up the possibility for change.
October 31st, 2006 at 12:03 am
The ads are also less and less effective, since there are more people watching cable or satalite - and they often avoid broadcast completely.
The direct mail pollution is also appalling.