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(M)Ad Men: Election 2012

In my lifetime, the best part of the election is not who wins or loses. It’s not about who gets the bragging rights, or who gets to proclaim, “I told you so!” It’s not even about the celebration of voting, patriotism or the reality that we help decide America’s future. For better or for worse, the best part for those of us in Ohio is finally seeing an end to the relentless barrage of political advertising.

As I walked out this morning from my voting center, I took a big sigh of relief having remembered that fact. It was finally over! I could actually peruse the Internet, watch my favorite TV show or even read the news again knowing I didn’t have to crawl through the endless sludge of political ads. In the pit of my stomach though, I knew there was one problem with this realization.

Why in the world is this what we have to look forward to every election? The bevy of mud-slinging this presidential election has brought to the public has beaten and broken us yet again. It has broken some people to the point of complete apathy; some people even chose to abstain purely out of spite. This doesn’t and shouldn’t have to be the reality we live in.

Eventually, something will have to give. The American people living in swing-states will eventually grow tired of the same barrage every four years and force advertisers hands into planning and putting their money into more pertinent and effective measures. Someday, the people will rejoice again in what it truly means to be a part of this uniquely peaceful and meaningful voting process. We can all start by celebrating those things tonight and on through the next day as America decides who becomes the President of the United States.

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