McCain Goes 100% Negative
I’ve heard this from a few different sources. Last week nearly all, if not entirely all, of John McCain’s political ads were negative. Here’s this from Café Sentido:
Last week, as the “rabble-rousing” issue overtook his campaign —the result of a decision to go 100% negative— first a commercial advertising monitoring group in Wisconsin announced that 100% of the campaign’s advertising was negative, then media analysis suggested that 100% of its national advertising had gone negative. McCain had literally stopped delivering information to voters about what, if anything, he stood for, leaving Democrats and conservative opponents alike to attack the Arizona senator for lack of preparation and inconsistency.
What kind of presidential candidate does NOTHING but smear his opponent? One who doesn’t know how else to get attention. One who has nothing constructive to say. One who’s losing face, losing grace. Obama’s campaign certainly has negative ads out as well, but Senator McCain is the first in history to make a conscious decision to go 100% negative.
It makes me sad.
What about those of us who thrive on negativity? Maybe he’s just pandering to our lack-of-values voting.
I’ve actually heard plenty of analysts/pundits on TV say that negative smear messages have traditionally worked in past election campaigns, especially in the final weeks when the polls are fairly even. I think that’s why McCain’s strategists are spreading manure like crazy right now.
hey, if it puts Obama in charge, I hope he keeps it up.
katrocket is right. Many political experts will agree that in general a negative ad campaign is much more effective than a positive one, mostly because it irritates people and anything that irritates people they generally remember.
The difference in McCains negative campaign is that it has very little to do with issues, and even less to do with Obama himself. Many commercials focus on “liberal Democrats” and don’t say much about what Obama has done or will do.
I wish more Americans, like us here, were more interested in the political process to do their homework. Democracy only works with an educated electorate.
“Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel” Samuel Johnson
…all the Palin/McCain (yes, i meant to phrase it that way) camp have left is to impune every Democrats morality and patriotism, all the while wrapped in red, white and blue, with a crucifix in one hand and a high-powered hunting rifle in the other…
Hands up, who believed McCain when he said that he would run an honourable campaign? Anyone? Anyone?