Are you guys really impressed by the election campaign commercials by Bush or Kerry on the TV?
We just find them very funny here in Europe.

We find them funny here, too.

I wonder why the waste their time. It gets annoying to see them go back and fourth like three year olds. I didn't know you saw them in Europe.

Those ads are more frequent when time gets closer to the elections. The same comercial repeats a number of times, back to back (the horror!)

I don't watch TV anymore. I advise everyone to do the same.

We get to see many things in Europe.

And yes, American elections are a display of ridicule. Which is sad and dangerous when you think that the USA are the greatest world power, and yet the elections there are such as if they were about choosing a president of a completely insignifficant little country that, even if it chooses a shitty president, will not have any bad influence on world politics.

I'm unsure who actually pays attention to the campaign ads.

The idea of those things affecting a viewer's decision in the general election ... that's something I haven't figured out.

However, it's worth keeping in mind the idea that the general trend reflects lower turnouts favoring conservative causes. The GOP has every reason to hollow out the electoral debate. And it's always a hard choice for the Democrats--stoop and play the game, or seem elitist and aloof by not satiating the politically bloodthirsty who need some sort of inane scandal to butter their bread.

One of the points Zell Miller makes in his recent book is that Democratic special interest groups are generally more public and visible than Republican ones. He hypothesizes that this is one of the problems that Democrats face in elections, and it's been that way for a while now.

Example: Mondale puts up Ferraro as VP in 84, and NOW brags like crazy that they made that happen. Mondale's already fighting a terrible image problem of pandering to SIGs, and this only makes it worse. I think we all remember the result.

There are exceptions, of course. The National Rifle Association certainly leaps to mind. But generally speaking, conservative groups are much better at flying below the radar.

Also, you can see efforts by leftist groups to copy this behavior now, in the Internet age. The whole George Soros deal is a good example. Everything he does is below the radar (at least until Limbaugh, Hannity and Coulter catch wind of it).

They are very stupid to advertise now this early before the elections. They are blowing millions on ads that everyone won't recall or want to remember at all. I don't watch TV that much but the commercials I've seen were stupid and not very interesting to view.

I'm unsure who actually pays attention to the campaign ads.

Like all ads, surely the intent is to imprint something at a subconscious, subintellectual level. Politics is all about branding, and branding is a curious science with curious methods.

Politics is all about branding, and branding is a curious science with curious methods.

Bullet lists, talking points ... anything to avoid saying anything of substance in the public arena. Personally, I consider it an art form, but at some point it's all the same thing.

I wonder if one could teach a class called "Interpretive Politics." It would have something to do with the history of the methods and magnitudes of what politicians have gotten away with.

Even more than the Kennedy-Nixon debate, if you ever have a chance to listen to the few words that pop up here and there in the recycled pop-history market from the folks behind the "Countdown" commercial of the Johnshon, they seem to have a clue about how much damage they did to the public discourse with that spot, which is usually hailed as a respected benchmark in American politics.

• "These are the stakes. To make a world in which all of God's children can live. Or to go into the dark. We must either love each other or we must die." ( L.B. Johnson (http://www.tvparty.com/comjing.html))

And it is. Pure art. Absolutely amazing. One of the best commercials ever made for anything, ever.

Of genuine political science, though ... why is the "conventional wisdom" so unconventionally ... um ... what's the word I'm looking for here?

At any rate, I guess I just don't want to believe that people really do let the commercials influence the "talking points."

We get to see many things in Europe.

And yes, American elections are a display of ridicule. Which is sad and dangerous when you think that the USA are the greatest world power, and yet the elections there are such as if they were about choosing a president of a completely insignifficant little country that, even if it chooses a shitty president, will not have any bad influence on world politics.

that's because the president doesn't run this country- the corporation's do. in fact, the international corporation's run the world.

(LOVE the LBJ quote!!, tiassa)

As dave said its like normal ad's

and an advatiser is most happy when there ads ARNT watched, because if they are watched closely they become subject to logic and reason where if they arnt they play straight on emotions

The politics or America are kind of ridiculous at points. It is constant bickering, not supporting yourself, but degrading the character of the other guy. And it becomes confusing where people stand when candidates like Kerry begin flip-flopping on lots of issues. :m:

So this brings up a question. What are political ads like in other countries?

Pritty much the same

yeah, good question. But in some countries they don't have television, and in others the guerillas or insurgents dont have time to create ads. :m:

here thay are billboards and newspaper headlines payed for by our taxes,
we have a popn of 4 million and they spend 1400,0000 per party per year on advertising

Vslayer where is HERE?

The political commercials here date back to when you were 12 and running for class president of your student council. Its all about who can make the other guy look worse. I always thought it was so pointless that instead of trying to make it that you WANT to vote for someone, you instead have to pick the lesser of two evils.

Like for instance, i hear alot of people saying all the time now, "Well I dont know who i am voting for but i know it aint Bush!" or "I will vote for anyone who runs against so and so" things like that. i think that if people focused more on changes instead of mud slinging we might beable to get somewhere. That goes for ALL elections over here. but then again, we wouldnt be america if we didnt go about things all backwards... after all congress ... CONgress... isnt that the opposite of PROGRESS?

hehehe :D

ALL elections arnt about getting the best person for the job. They are about keeping the worst person OUT

I think the problem with australian politics is that cabinat ministers and the PM are payed no where NEAR what they could get in private industry and back benches are payed to little

If we pay more to the front benches and less to the back benches we might get better people in power

well its just a thought

Vslayer where is HERE?

New Zealand.

some would consider it a state of australia, it being in close proximity but we are an independant nation.

same size as japan
same pop'n density as canada(if you exclude the 44 sheep per person)

You dont need to tell me ABOUT NZ, Know all about you sheepy kiewies. I live just across the sea in australia

Actually did you know that NZ was almost part of Australia and WA was going to be independant?

Right up untill the last min it looked like that was the way the vote was going to go then they both changed there minds

Are you guys really impressed by the election campaign commercials by Bush or Kerry on the TV?

They're just plain stupid. I can't recall how long I've seen Bush and Kerry adds on TV. Seems like forever. Scary thing is, I actually remember some of them.

I think I have only seen one so far and it was Kerry preaching his Socialist rhetoric.... quite silly he was. As far as Bush havent seen one. Talk Radio is a different story..... but I am an evil conservative that wants to see the destruction of our planet so I wont tell you about that. :bugeye:

And thats Socialism as in.......The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

But Kerry is sooooo smart, he can make it work!!!