Although we are still happily enjoying the summer months, politicians are anxiously anticipating the arrival of fall and, therefore, the upcoming Presidential election. In 2010, the Supreme Court changed the way that politicians can do business. Before, individuals and businesses were not allowed to support campaigns with corporate money. However, the doors are now wide open, and it is to the politicians’ discretion as to how much money should be spent. This year, campaign spending has skyrocketed above records from the past. In 2008, campaign spending was roughly $7 billion, compared to an estimated $10 billion in 2012, a 40% increase. As of July 29, both republican and democrat campaign advertising spending was at $269.9 million, meaning that in order to spend that estimated $10 billion, our media sources are quickly going to be flooded with campaign ads. This exorbitant amount of advertising money makes it appear that the candidates are taking a forward approach to informing the American people of their platform. It would seem that they were being proactive in getting their ideas, experience and goals to the voters. Instead, negative ads account for 74% of all advertisements, meaning that instead of telling watchers what a candidate can do, the emphasis of the advertisement is on what the other can’t do. Barack Obama and Mitt Romney have both spent more than $30 million on negative campaigning, but there are also nearly 50 organizations that are independently running their own Pro-Obama and Pro-Romney advertisements. Americans are largely receiving a campaign that is a battle of who would be the worst. Candidates are shooting one another down, not presenting facts about themselves. Although money is pouring into negative campaigning, some states are hardly seeing anything. Obama and Romney are focusing in on nine states: Colorado, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Florida and of course, Ohio. On a positive note, Americans are becoming more aware of and disgusted by these negative ads. According to a recent Knights of Columbus-Maris survey, approximately 78% of Americans are “frustrated” by the continuous negativity. “We would rather see them saying what they can do, instead of just bashing the other,” said students Kelsey Wintrow and Callie Boitnott.
