Fear itself

Since the start of this election season, we have exhaustively lamented the lack of substantive discourse between the two major presidential campaigns. Both President Bush and Sen. John Kerry have delivered unrealistic platforms and pandering performances—undesirable, of course, but somewhat endemic to electioneering. In the arena of political advertising, however, this election surpasses any typical maneuvering in presidential campaigns. Never before has so much been spent on campaign ads; yet, in recent memory, never before have those ads operated on such a base level. As Nov. 2 approaches, ads have become ever more exploitative of human fears—fears that often have no grounding in reality—and increasingly devoid of pertinent information. Unfortunately, both political camps are complicit; neither Republicans nor Democrats can boast of integrity.

With Election Day two weeks away, political campaigns and outside groups have stepped up their efforts, funneling millions of more dollars into television advertisements that inundate the airwaves across America—of course, a bit more heavily in the courted swing states. According to The New York Times, “the candidates, their parties and outside groups were spending a combined $25 million on a heavy 7-to-10-day period” a few weeks ago. “From Oct. 7 to Oct. 17 they were to spend up to $40 million, according to one Republican estimate.” And it’s estimated that by the end of the election, $500 million will have been spent in total. These figures are outrageous, particularly in an election that was initially thought to be protected by campaign finance laws passed in 2002.

Moreover, these last-minute ad campaigns are not legitimate efforts to persuade the few undecided voters still out there. Rather, they are laden with shock tactics that prey on the public’s fears, and they do a service to no one.

One ad recently released by the Bush campaign is set somewhere in suburbia, featuring a mother jogging with a stroller and a father with his minivan; the voiceover, which sounds like it’s straight out of a scary movie, drones “History’s lesson: Strength builds peace. Weakness invites those who would do us harm.” Mixing images of Middle America with threats of imminent terrorist attacks if Kerry is elected—on account of his enigmatic “weakness”—is a detestable ploy to get voters to vote simply out of fear.

But Bush’s counterpart is certainly no stranger to this salacious type of advertising. Groups working for the Kerry campaign have released some of the most daunting, and tasteless, commercial attacks. Several such ads feature sensational shots of the Iraq war mixed with emotional accounts by family members of fallen soldiers.

A political strategist working on advertisements for a Democratic group told the Times, “To the extent that it’s more incendiary than ever, it’s because people are more dug in…I’ve never seen a presidential race this polarized. It’s a little like trying to break through solid rock. You’ve got to use really strong dynamite to get in there.” Yet while it is certainly true that voters are increasingly difficult to sway—especially considering that after three debates, polls show little change amongst the undecided—preying on American fears is deplorable. The adversarial atmosphere of this election race has been apparent from its beginning; but these advertisements cross the line of appropriate ways of persuasion. There is simply no merit in trying to scare the American public into voting for either presidential contender.