We all know and love campaigning season. The candidates back-and-forth banter, the bumper stickers and, of course, the countless political TV ads. You can't watch your favorite television show without seeing at least three ads on every commercial. And unfortunately, they're almost all negative. Rarely do you see a candidate actually promoting themselves and what they are going to do for the country. In fact, with this year's campaign, presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have countless ads bashing and trash-talking each other.
Watching this campaign is like watching a divorced couple argue. There is constant negativity and it leaks into the political ads on TV. I don't know about you, but I don't want to see candidates bashing each other; I want to see what they are going to do for the country. Just this year, the political ads cost $4.4 billion, which is higher than the $3.8 billion cost in 2012, according to the Nevada Public Radio. That number is outrageous, and in reality, TV ads have a minor effect on the public's vote. The three televised debates have a bigger effect because it gives more insight into what the candidates goals are (although with these two, it's a cat-and-mouse game). Why are we spending so much on TV ads? $4.4 billion is an insane amount to spend on television ads when it can be used elsewhere.
The unfortunate problem about TV ads is that because they are played so often, people get tired of them. Most people don't care about commercials anyway, so not much attention is paid to them like before.
So the question is, what can that money go towards? First off, more positive campaigns! I cannot tell you how often I DON'T see these. I have seen one from each candidate this campaign season. Those reach so many more people because that's what America wants to see. We want a candidate to tell us what they're going to do for education, what they're going to do about health care and so much more! It could even go towards the homeless, the hungry, and not to mention, the plethora of non-profit organizations all over the United States. Ads only make a 2 to 3 percentage difference, which can be huge at the end of the race, so why not use those billions of dollars to promote yourself? Watching negative ads is quite childish, and it's like they're picking on each other. It leaves a sour taste in voters' mouths.
With the election coming to a close, lots of people will be happy to no longer see political ads taking over television. Hopefully, candidates in the future will come to their senses and stop spending billions on silly TV ads that make them look foolish.
Cheers to the most entertaining and ridiculous candidates America has ever seen! Happy voting!
