Political Ads

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Election-year advertising over the top . . . or bottom?

Dear Smarties:

I’m not sure if it’s even reasonable to expect truth during a campaign season, especially a mid-term election year like this one when there is so much heat (and so little light) from the Tea Party and both Democratic and GOP critics over the Obama Administration’s perceived performance. The GOP hopes to regain control of the House of Representatives in November, and there’s a slim chance that they could get the Senate, too.

Meanwhile, clearly unqualified candidates (and that’s not a partisan statement...look at some of the winners of recent primaries) in many states might put “mama grizzlies” in the U.S. Senate (Delaware, Nevada, etc.) and in some governorships, all because of popular anger over the economy, “Obamacare” and the bank bailout (which was a Bush policy).

In such a climate, truth always suffers as partisans roar. Check this out from NBC News last night, as political advertising reaches new levels.

—Dr. Ted

Campaign ads depict not-so-real world

In the battle for the airwaves ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats are being outspent seven to one by Republicans, who in some cases are hiring actors to portray angry voters in attack ads. NBC’s Andrea Mitchell reports.