Just heard a great piece on "How negative campaign ads work"...

[Junkdrawer]

NPR audio link

Seems the idea isn't to get you to switch candidates, but rather to make you question your own candidate to the point that you are not motivated to vote for that candidate. Clever, no????

[alarcojon]

1. I saw an oooold Harper's article about this very topic

During my formative college years. It is a persuasive thesis - you turn off everyone and see who has the more fanatical base.

[Waverley_Hills_Hiker]

2. Its called "apathetics".

Causing potential voters to become apathetic so as not to go out and vote.

[NNN0LHI]

3. And the clincher is to send a Trojan Horse like Nader out to suck up...

...votes from the lunatic wing of the Democratic party. It worked in 2000.

Don

[Warpy]

4. It's always been about getting the other guy's voters to stay home

The saddest thing is that it often works.

The way it's done is by having your candidate deliver cheery, upbeat messages featuring flags and stirring music, and farm all the negative stuff out to "focus groups," something the GOP has done very well for years. You know, those ads where that breathy female tells you to call your candidate's headquarters and demand to know why he breakfasts on live kittens every day can really turn off a lot of good folks.

Moveon.org has made a pretty good start on hitting Bush where he hurts, the economy and his utter witlessness in dealing with the problems working folks face. That the GOP has been fighting them tooth and nail is proof of how well negative campaigning has worked for them in encouraging Democrats to stay home, and they're scared of having the tables turned.

[Junkdrawer]

5. Say, you don't think they would send posters here to attack Kerry...

would they??? :shrug:

[NNN0LHI]

6. Nah. That is why we should believe everything we read here

And if you don't believe everything someone says here they get downright pissed off. Which I have experienced first hand many times by the way.

Don

[Junkdrawer]

7. I'm so relieved...

I was getting ready for a bunch of:

John Kerry: (Insert insult here)... type posts. Glad to see we won't have to worry about that!