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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.
Scott Elliott is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He writes about education, city and suburban issues, politics, business, workforce and consumer issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2010 > October > 11 > Entry
Editorial: Political ads best seen as entertainment
2010 ELECTION
It tells you something about the nature of this political year when you see a television ad for a certain candidate right after another ad for the same candidate. With, for example, the National Rifle Association running ads in behalf of Republican senatorial candidate Rob Portman, and with Mr. Portman himself airing some (funded in part by some of the same people), it can happen.
Money is flowing freely in amazing amounts. That’s in part because this is the first election after the U.S. Supreme Court eliminated the decades-old ban on direct corporate spending in political campaigns. Meanwhile, efforts to enact tough disclosure requirements about the sources of money have failed. And such spending is not even capped.
Among the 2010 phenomena:
• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is spending a whopping $75 million (with some charging — and the Chamber denying — that some of it comes from foreign sources).
• New, big-money organizations are being set up outside of political parties and candidate campaigns to run ads.
• Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch has given $1 million to elect Republican governors. Actually, this particular contribution would have been legal even under the old rules, but the size used to be unheard of. The contribution was sparked, Mr. Murdoch says, by his friendship with John Kasich, the party’s candidate in Ohio, who used to work for him.
The whole situation is widely expected to be a major new problem for the Democrats. True, labor unions were also unleashed by the Supreme Court, and they’ve been spending on behalf of Democrats. But Democratic contributors don’t seem as motivated as Republicans this year. Even billionaire George Soros has been holding back.
As this month progresses (1) that could change and (2) television viewers could become so inundated with ads that they tune them out, literally or metaphorically.
Meanwhile, as has been often noted, the campaign-spenders have more and more trouble finding audiences, as television channels proliferate, the Internet entertains more people, and people skip over the ads in recorded or uploaded programs.
Some of the ads that Ohio has seen already — which are bunched together at such length that they can seem like a program unto themselves — are striking enough to be embraced as entertainment. In the race for state treasurer, incumbent Kevin Boyce, a Democrat, is making the campaign about his opponent’s ad campaign itself, creating an ongoing soap opera. Josh Mandel had run an ad that a lot of people interpreted as suggesting that Mr. Boyce is a Muslim. Mr. Boyce responds by highlighting his Christianity and quoting a newspaper’s (justified) outrage at the Mandel ad.
Mr. Boyce has good reason to welcome anything that changes the subject from his performance in office.
Then there’s the ad being run against state Sen. Fred Strahorn. It highlights his support of the Barack Obama health care plan. Never mind that a state senator has nothing to do with that. Is Republican candidate Bill Beagle saying that he can’t find anything to object to in Sen. Strahorn’s actual record in office?
A Mike DeWine ad also features the president and health care. Former Sen. DeWine promises to challenge the health care plan in court as attorney general, saying that somebody must stand up for Ohioans.
Never mind that the bill is already being challenged in court by other states, with or without Mike DeWine.
Some candidates seem to think that the government of Ohio doesn’t actually do anything that people are interested in. That’s worth knowing.
This year is a test case for the new rules on corporate spending, as to how much will be spent and the effects.
The best way to get through the month may be to greet the ads as part of a game. Think of them as a kind of new fall show, somewhat in the “reality” mode — so long as the word “reality” is not applied to what the ads are actually saying.
Permalink | Comments (12) | Post your comment | Categories: Editorials, Elections, Martin Gottlieb, Miami Valley Politics, Ohio politics
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By Philman
October 11, 2010 5:07 AM | Link to this
Come on DDN Ruperts One Million dollar contribution to get Republicans elected is unheard of, HOW MUCH HAS GEORGE SOROS GIVEN TO DEMOCRATS DURING AN ELECTION? I BELIEVE IT 25 MILLION IN 2008, YOU LIBS ARE MAD BECAUSE THE SUPREMES LET THE CORPS. GET INVOLVED, UNIONS HAVE AND ARE GIVING HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND NEVER A PEEP FROM THE LAMESTREAM MEDIA,
By Tom
October 11, 2010 6:34 AM | Link to this
PLEASE DO A FRONT PAGE STORY EXPLAINING WHY YOU DO NOT ALLOW COMMENTS ON ARTICLES ANY LONGER. MANY OF US DO NOT HAVE NOR HAVE ANY INTENTION OF GETTING A “FACEBOOK” PAGE. THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY METHOD TO COMMENT.
By Tom
October 11, 2010 6:35 AM | Link to this
PLEASE DO A FRONT PAGE STORY EXPLAINING WHY YOU DO NOT ALLOW COMMENTS ON ARTICLES ANY LONGER. MANY OF US DO NOT HAVE NOR HAVE ANY INTENTION OF GETTING A “FACEBOOK” PAGE. THAT SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY METHOD TO COMMENT.
By joe_mamma
October 11, 2010 7:44 AM | Link to this
You can go here to see the top political donors from 1989-2010 www.opensecrets.org/orgs/list.php . You can even toggle it only reflect the 2010 election cycle. You can see for yourself how much money unions contribute (Martin downplayed its significance in his piece)…it makes Rupert Murdoch look like a piker.
By Max
October 11, 2010 9:02 AM | Link to this
When have political ads NOT been entertainment? Remember the brief ‘countdown to nukes’ used against Goldwater? The TV networks are missing a great opportunity here for the next ‘reality’ show; “SO YOU WANT TO BE AN ELECTABLE POLITICIAN?”
By davidss2
October 11, 2010 9:06 AM | Link to this
Strange how all the funny money in small donations came rolling in since obama didn’t suffer the consequences of the election rules. That many hundreds of millions helped him buy the White House. - - - - - - - -The DDn didn’t mind that campaign money along with the labor unions helping elect their King. But the DDn doesn’t want the conservatives to have any money for their campaign. Oddly lopsided. But then that’s the DDn. - - - - - We need a real newspaper in our area. Maybe the Enquirer can cover the Dayton area for us… They’re moving North.
By Max
October 11, 2010 10:01 AM | Link to this
Joe, Murdoch’s influence is greater than money and his holdings in ‘Fox’ is a peculiar case of a foreign born national side-stepping the old FCC restrictions…..But, the Supreme Court’s decision (corporate donations) to deem corporations have the same Bill OF Rights (FOS) protection as do individuals is even stranger….Donations only matter if a candidate wins which is why many hedge their bets with both. No party wants campaign finance reform. Maybe there’s a hidden ‘stimulus’ there every two years…LOL
By Ice Bandit
October 11, 2010 12:26 PM | Link to this
Sorry Marty and Ellen, but the Dems over-reached and raised the ire of the working folks that got handed the bill for all the tax and spend. You, Marty and Ellen, didn’t notice because you were too busy cheerleading for all the socialistic hope and spend. The Dems are doomed even if the GOP doesn’t spend a dime. Break out the crying towels…..
By davidss2
October 11, 2010 2:32 PM | Link to this
The Dems have run on a radical, liberal agenda to overthrow the capitalism and the work ethic in our country: Obamacare increasing healthcare costs by 20% already for many people, cap and tax increasing costs of electricity and gas and gasoline, mortgage free to those who shouldn’t have been given one by the 2006 and earlier Dem congress is being paid for by those 50% who are working for a living. Very radical. Next will be tax increases by raising the rates by not renewing the current rates, adding a VAT tax, and any other kind of tax like death tax they’ll put back on. Then there’s card check to increase the labor unions membership to donate to the Dem party. ——— Let’s put the Gear selector in “R” and reverse out of this ditch the “D” democrats drove us into spending trillions on pork instead of 100% jobs in the first year. The few things for jobs didn’t show up until this second summer and most were for UNIONS—Obama’s buddies for reelection.
By Max
October 11, 2010 3:51 PM | Link to this
Davidss2, I guess I don’t see the ‘agenda’ to overthrow capitalism or the Amrican work ethic. Both would be pointless endeavors anyway…..Looking at these things through political blinders restricts wider viewpoints. For example, capitalism is alive and well but has been dispersed world-wide which was the mantra angainst the old Cold War nations. Now that they are involved and sticking it to us in international trade and cheap workforce - maximizing profit and minimalizing overhead is a VERY capitalist concern -isn’t a function of the unions; it’s the result thereof. Companies which have stockholders to answer to are very conservative in their business practices if they hope to remain solvent. However, upstart companies and their venture capital backers tend to be very liberal in their approaches to business, So, to look at business and its basic capitalism principals through the filter of one party or another is, again, folly. The American work ethic has undergone a major transformation over the past two decades. The workforce divided itself into two basic groups; those who chose to stay with the ‘company’ until retirement - this includes farmers - tend to be on the conservative side of the political spectrum, and, those who chose to venture out and be innovative through self-employement, starting a small business, and so forth. Those tend to lean to the liberal side. In both groups the American work ethic is alive. In regards to the ‘recession’ in general, these times provide opportunities as well as the downsides. Afterall, nothing of much duration is created from a position of comfort.
By Max
October 12, 2010 10:00 AM | Link to this
I AGREE WITH TOM….IF A FACEBOOK MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED TO COMMENT ON NEWS STORIES, THEN DDN HAS MADE A BUSINESS MISTAKE. IF I WANTED TO HANG OUT ONLINE WITH TEENAGERS, SCAMMERS, AND LONELY WOMEN WHO ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO “MAKE ME LAUGH” I’D ALREADY BE THERE. I’M NOT NOR WILL I.
By getoverit
October 13, 2010 12:39 PM | Link to this
Max makes me laugh. DDN: commenting here keeps us out of trouble. Maybe you can make the comments available by a separate link, so more normal people are not immediately offended.