Do you believe that attack ads have informative value? Why?

Answer 1

If a political campaign has to resort to half-truth attack ads to promote their candidate, I have a tendency to believe they are not confident that their candidate has more to offer the voters than the opponent being attacked. Attack ads make me feel like these people think a large portion of voting Americans are over-emotional, stupid, fanatics. We need to know what these people really stand for and their record had better absolutely prove it. How can you base your vote on gossip?

Answer 2

Very very little. Generally political campaigns don't tell outright lies, but instead take some fact about their opponent and tell it in such a way as to make it look as damning as possible.

Here's an example from the last election:

A DA was running for congress. Someone in his office made a phone call to the local county sherriff's office or the local jail (don't remember which) a 1-800 number. Unfortunately the staffer's finger slipped and the personal accidentally called a phone sex line. The person realized his mistake immediately and hung up, but the DAs office was charged for a one minute call to a phone sex line. Needless to say the DAs political opponent ran ads claiming that the DA 'had called a phone sex line and billed it to the county taxpayers.'

Obviously sounds far worse that it really was. Political adds seek to strip the grey out of real life and generally shouldn't be trusted.

Answer 3

As long as they, or the info. contained within, are true, yes. Even if only 1 out of 10 pieces of info. is true.

It's incumbent upon/up to the viewer to:

--Do some critical thinking,

--Ask questions,

--Evaluate the info, and

--Do research to confirm what is true,

--Confirm what is relevant and what is irrelevant,

--What info. is useful and what is garbage,

--What info. they agree with or don't

in the process of deciding about that candidate AND about that candidate's opponent for even having created the attack ad. People must then vote accordingly.

Further, to a large degree, I believe that it is true that people get the government they deserve.

Answer 4

Well not really. They are selective and don't give you the full context. On top of that they tell you nothing about what that person plans to do.

Answer 5

They do have emotional value.

Answer 6

no, not at all.