Why are political ads so aggressive? | Graphic by Rose Taylor| The Wright State Guardian
One of the most memorable things about the political cycle is the ads we get. This year in particular, Ohio has been plagued with ads pertaining to the race between Sherrod Brown and Bernine Morano. Year after year, these ads and political stunts have gotten more aggressive. But the question remains, When did these ads get so aggressive?
In the past
The use of political ads dates back to before the 1960’s. According to John Shattuck, an expert in political science, political ads did not get negative until the Reagan and Nixon race.
“In [an] ad, there is a clip of the president at the time, Dwight Eisenhower, at a press conference being asked what Nixon had actually contributed as Vice President. He responded with 'give me a week and I’ll think of something.’ This is the first instance where another political party said anything viewed as negative about another,” Shattuck explained.
Most of the negative ads at the time were more factual, actually highlighting negative things that were done while the candidate held a position in office. But it wasn’t until the late 1990’s and early 2000’s did these ads start getting more aggressive.
“These ads were starting to stretch the truth more, starting around the time George W. Bush was running. They would take truthful facts and stretch it to fit narratives. As this keeps going on, and politics get more radicalized, we end up with what we have now. The sometimes slanderous ads that play every ten seconds,” Shattuck said.
Ads from a voters perspective
With the ads evolving with time, there are many who are current voters that can attest to the evolution of them.
“I definitely don’t remember the ads being as crazy as they are now,” long-time voter Tammy King said. “For me, I didn’t notice a major shift until around 911. Our country changed so much after that and for me that's when they started getting so aggressive.”
Other voters who are in college and are voting for the first time find humor in the ads, but ultimately fear for the future of the country if they continue this way. Marketing major Hannah Layton is one of these students.
“I find them kind of funny sometimes, but it also kind of disturbs me with how much they are like propaganda and what it means for our country,” Layton said.
Ultimately, as long as politics are a thing, these ads will be. But it is uncertain how much further they are willing to go.
“It’s up to the political climate,” Shattuck explained. “The more radicalized the air around politics gets, the worse they will get.”
