I'm sure the average reader of The Digital Buzz has been confused and greatly saddened as of late due to our recent inactivity. In all honesty, I too, felt the effects of the waning attention on the blog and couldn't stand it anymore. So here we are back with a bang. Today, I'm writing you on a topic that isn't only receiving current media attention, but is the heart of the media itself.
The looming election, a phrase oft spouted when in dire economic or political straits (or both as may be the current case) has politicos worldwide debating yet again. The United States presidential election is important to the world economy as it represents much of the policy to be administered over the course of the following four years, and so it's almost as if it's an election for the world populace. People everywhere tune in to see what the latest breaking developments are in a race that has lasted nearly two full years.
The developments in recent months are those of attack campaigns. Rather than discussing issues of domestic or foreign policy or evaluating the economical crisis at length both Republican and Democratic parties have turned from their infighting to focus all that usual negative attention on one another. McCain's campaign and running mate have likened candidate Obama to be a Muslim and supporter of a terrorist while the Obama campaign has discussed McCain's political ties with Bush and oil and likened a McCain-Palin administration to the current one, which is currently holds one of the lowest approval ratings in the nation's history.
The looming election, a phrase oft spouted when in dire economic or political straits (or both as may be the current case) has politicos worldwide debating yet again. The United States presidential election is important to the world economy as it represents much of the policy to be administered over the course of the following four years, and so it's almost as if it's an election for the world populace. People everywhere tune in to see what the latest breaking developments are in a race that has lasted nearly two full years.
The developments in recent months are those of attack campaigns. Rather than discussing issues of domestic or foreign policy or evaluating the economical crisis at length both Republican and Democratic parties have turned from their infighting to focus all that usual negative attention on one another. McCain's campaign and running mate have likened candidate Obama to be a Muslim and supporter of a terrorist while the Obama campaign has discussed McCain's political ties with Bush and oil and likened a McCain-Palin administration to the current one, which is currently holds one of the lowest approval ratings in the nation's history.
According to the Nielson Group, who define criticism of an opponent in an ad as a negative, from June 3-September 7, both sides have run a strikingly similar amount of ads (both in the 75,000 range). These ads are obviously not written by the candidates themselves, but issued by a team with an ad budget any marketer will kill for with an "I am (insert candidate here) and I approve this message" disclaimer - just so you can be sure that they approve of their campaigns' methods. It's interesting to watch, because virtually every ad uses specific tactics in an almost template fashion. Most ads are interchangeable, the ominous voice and scared voter afraid to vote for the opposing candidate, or the gung-ho and overly jubilant supporters of our next president. And yet they have so much money to be creative it's almost sad to see the avenues they eventually choose. It's by no means a reach to think Robert Frost would be taking a different path.
Even further, most every campaign runs dirty ads. One of the most notoriously vicious (and for that matter dramatic) campaigns in the United States' past was the election of 1896 which also had at its core a deep seeded interest in the economy. And just as now, massive amounts were spent by candidates (although at that time McKinley and the Republicans outspent the Democrats in much the same way as Obama and the Democrats are outspending the Republicans of today). This money went into creating an image, a brand, an identity to be held by the American voter as they entered the booth. The battlefield hasn't changed much although the medium has. Hopefully, in future debates, with all of that marketing money at their disposal, candidates will think of a creative way to actually interact and inform their possible constituency, rather than walking the path more traveled by. And I, I believe it will make all the difference.
Even further, most every campaign runs dirty ads. One of the most notoriously vicious (and for that matter dramatic) campaigns in the United States' past was the election of 1896 which also had at its core a deep seeded interest in the economy. And just as now, massive amounts were spent by candidates (although at that time McKinley and the Republicans outspent the Democrats in much the same way as Obama and the Democrats are outspending the Republicans of today). This money went into creating an image, a brand, an identity to be held by the American voter as they entered the booth. The battlefield hasn't changed much although the medium has. Hopefully, in future debates, with all of that marketing money at their disposal, candidates will think of a creative way to actually interact and inform their possible constituency, rather than walking the path more traveled by. And I, I believe it will make all the difference.