Dr. Patrick Kelling
Eng. Comp 121-017
November 4, 2015
Political Advertisements: Buying and Selling America
The tradition of political advertisements was to enlighten American voters of potential candidates and the values each one represented. However, this once reliable and informative practice has long since become more of a sales pitch for each possible contender. These political advertisements have reached a whole different level with the invention of the television in the mid-twentieth century. Each advertisement telling us why we should vote for their candidate. Each contestant selling themselves to the people of this great nation in hopes of becoming their next elected official. Their promises echoing through every room …show more content…
Since these candidates are on television, each individual must be telling the truth. If a potential contender represents the party a voter is associated with, then this is the right person for the job. The candidate looks like he or she is compassionate and understanding and each one tells the voters which issues are most important to them. These advertisements are also used to expose opposing candidates which reinforces the voter’s potential choice. This helps the voter feel assured and confident in the person they are selecting to represent them. The truth is no one really knows until these officials are elected into their respective offices. However, Political Ads in the United States are no longer relevant to the American voter since they are not only uninformative, but also misleading using deception and negativity to persuade the public to elect a specific …show more content…
These ads promote hidden agendas which mainly benefit corporations and special interest groups. With unregulated campaign finances, potential candidates can secure political positions due to unlimited funding. This allows these contenders to sell the public on multiple agendas through excessive amounts of advertisements even if there are no benefits to actual voters. It creates an imbalance between contestants and never gives the lesser political parties a genuine chance of gaining a political position. Many ads can also be negative and untruthful just to tarnish the reputations of opposing candidates. Misguiding voters with false or misconstrued information is an injustice to the American people. Parties and organizations distributing ads with false claims should be held accountable for their actions. The First Amendment states,” Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise. It protects freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and the right to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (U.S. Constitution). It defends the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press to report honestly and to the best of its knowledge. It does not defend false accusations and claims often found in political ads to deceive voters. Political ads do serve a purpose in this country, they just do not serve the American