This is your only warning. Turn off your TV set, or your will to live — or vote — may be decimated.

The Television Bureau of Advertising forecasts that the politicians who want your vote will spend about $3 billion in 2008, a presidential election year. As noted earlier at S&R, the presidential candidates alone have collectively raised more than $265 million since the beginning of this year. The eventual nominees will need to raise more than $500 million each to have a chance to win in November.

Now, toss in the folks running for the House and Senate. Add the chumps, er, chaps, who want to be governors and attorneys general. A whole passel of politicians are looking for your money — so they can spend it on campaigning to enlighten you about them, their promises and their records. Riiiight.

Remember, this estimate is $3 billion for television advertising. By politicians. So what do you think we’ll find out in the ads they’ll shell out all that cash for?

Early on, we’ll learn they have wives (or husbands) and suitably cute children. We’ll learn that the men like to walk through town with suit coats slung over the shoulder and sleeves rolled up. They like walkin’ and talkin’ in diners and other working-class emporiums. They will be earnest in tone and wide-eyed in appreciation of the opportunity to serve us with dedication, dignity and honesty. You might even spot some wearing clothing made of Reaganite™.

Later, they’ll become feisty. They’ll challenge the incumbent (or encumber the challenger) with vague statements about the opponent’s records, personalities and sinful allegiances to (insert choice here: gays, liberals, religious fundamentalists, libertarians, neo-conservatives — just choose one). Then they’ll become downright nasty. No, wait: 527 groups not “aligned” with the candidate’s campaign will do the real Gordon Liddy-style dirty work.

But the word that best describes the content of this $3 billion advertising show is this: vague. They won’t say a damn thing that will come back to haunt them — or inform us specifically about what they will do in [insert choice here: Congress, White House, governor's mansion, etc.] and why they’ll do it that way.

These folks are chasing record amount of money to spend in a record-setting deception that will tell us absolutely nothing.

And you can bet they won’t go out of their way in their ads to tell us:

• who gave them money and how much.
• who bundled what amount of money from whom and how much.
• how much money they received from “leadership PACs” run by powerful members of Congress (and what they promised those powerful folks in return).
• what industries larded them with political largesse.

So what are we going to get in this information age for $3 billion?

Sheer bullshit. Count on it.

Darktemper, your post says it all. Did you create it or borrow it?

As usual DA doesn't have ANYTHING of substance to contribute.

Source:
http://scholarsandrogues.wordpress.com/2007/09/08/for-sale-3-billion-worth-of-po litical-bullshit/

"As usual DA doesn't have ANYTHING of substance to contribute."

I agreed with the post, isn't that enough for you. Or is that too complicated?

I agreed with the post, isn't that enough for you.

Right on cue!

I agree with the post too.

All commercials suck and political commercials suck 10X more.

If I could write the rules, I'd make a rule that they can only run honest, non-mudslinging, issue oriented commercials.

And ONLY run them for 1 week before the election!

I get so sick of the political BS commercials.

I wish there was Sirius TV!

Or at least some way to automatically mute the audio on ALL commercials and mute the audio AND blank the video on ANY political commercial!

Well, there's my million dollar idea! You heard it first on PDXRadio!

I watch maybe an hour of TV every 2 months or so, and I've already decided I'm not voting for McCain, Clinton, Obama, or Nader. I think all four are the wrong choice for the country.

All commercials suck and political commercials suck 10X more.
And I like your idea, Skybill. But what I'd like to see is an election where all political advertising is prohibited (including phone calls, mailers, door-to-door canvasses, etc.) and all newspapers, television and radio stations, and other media outlets are required to provide uncompensated, equal space/time to all candidates for each position. They would also be required to entice readers/viewers/listeners to read/watch/listen to said broadcasts.

Maybe try one election that way and see what happens.

"All commercials suck and political commercials suck 10X more."

Hey I make my living making those "sucky" commercials.

And Deane can attest to all those political radio commercials we had to make back in the day. I was so happy when the rules changed and those of us who produced and voiced radio commercials didn't have do put our voices on any political spots.

Sorry Chris!

No offense meant to you!

I just hate listening to commercials as most of them insult your (generic term) intelligence.

If they would just tout the merits of the product or service that would be different, but they always have to (at least on TV) do it in some really stupid way!

Skybill-

No offense taking. Of course I was being facetious too. One of the first things I learned in radio is commercials are irritants to listeners...or viewers.

My goal as a producer and voice talent is to make them less irritable. Sometimes you get a really good script you can wrap your mouth around and give it a good sell and it all works out.

Once you start listening to commercials you come to realize just how many bad ones there are. And I've had to produce my share of crappy commercials.

Hey, this is the American way -- open elections. Don't forget, rich guys DO lose, and badly. (Mitt Romney).

Democrats for MITT

Because the GOP deserves the very worst!

Man, I chuckle each time I think of that AD and all the money he spent to just suck nationally.

Worse than political commercials are car dealers commercials. They have a lot in common, however. You know both are full of BS.

Oh Deane you got that right. Thankfully I haven't done an auto dealership in years.

Politicians and Car Dealers are like dirty diapers.

They both need to be removed for the same reason!