Tag Archives: political ads

Five Questions About Money and Politics

 

Money1) How much more influence does a citizen gain who spends a great deal of money on a candidate compared with an average citizen who merely casts a ballot? Can votes be “bought” in the sense of understood favors toward certain policies if one accepts money for a campaign?

2) How much does advertising, which must be paid for with money, influence us? How do we make up our minds to vote for a candidate? Are today’s political ads from both parties kin to Hitler’s “big lie”?  Before World War II, he repeated over and over the falsehood that Jews were responsible for Germany’s economic problems. How about Lenin who said: “A lie told often enough becomes the truth”?

3) What is our proper attitude toward money? Wealthy individuals fund charities and non-profits as well as political campaigns.

4) Has money become the new world government? Does a wealthy tycoon in Russia have more in common with a wealthy tycoon in Switzerland or the United States or Nigeria than with his or her own citizens?

vote clip art5) Has money trumped political parties? Do wealthy individuals have more power to win elections than Democrats or Republicans or other political parties?

Five Questions About Money and Politics

 

Money1) How much more influence does a citizen gain who spends a great deal of money on a candidate compared with an average citizen who merely casts a ballot? Can votes be “bought” in the sense of understood favors toward certain policies if one accepts money for a campaign?

2) How much does advertising, which must be paid for with money, influence us? How do we make up our minds to vote for a candidate? Are today’s political ads from both parties kin to Hitler’s “big lie”?  Before World War II, he repeated over and over the falsehood that Jews were responsible for Germany’s economic problems. How about Lenin who said: “A lie told often enough becomes the truth”?

3) What is our proper attitude toward money? Wealthy individuals fund charities and non-profits as well as political campaigns.

4) Has money become the new world government? Does a wealthy tycoon in Russia have more in common with a wealthy tycoon in Switzerland or the United States or Nigeria than with his or her own citizens?

vote clip art5) Has money trumped political parties? Do wealthy individuals have more power to win elections than Democrats or Republicans or other political parties?

Boycotting The Election

 

I’m taking a sabbatical from politics. I plan to vote, but I intend to skip the political ads and speeches. Boycott the season’s entertainment.

For information, I’ll read the analytical articles from observers who have proven track records. Forget the social media rumor mills and the talk shows.

Best to mute the TV adds, too. Avoid contamination from, at best hyped up hyperbole and at worst outright lies.

When I worked overseas for the U.S. government, one of our favorite ways to reach out to citizens of countries with little or no democracy, was through our election night coverage. We would open an embassy site to the public so they could watch our democracy in action on TV. We were rightly proud of our American electoral process.

Come November, I’m sure our embassies will still follow this practice, as they should. After all, compared to the election chaos in, say, Egypt, our process looks pretty good. Explaining the huge amounts of money currently expended by a few rich people to influence voters, however, may prove embarrassing. It may remind those other countries of the money-fueled corruption in their own governments. It may give the impression that American politicians can be bought.

How are you coping with the election season onslaught?