What Happened to Truth and Civility?

I don't know about all of you in other states, but here in Florida, watching television has become really entertaining!  The tube is being flooded with political ads at an increasing rate.  Usually I have enough time to only watch programs that I TIVO, but lately I have been watching TV in real time when I watch the local news programs.  What I am seeing is breathtaking.

About 50% of each break for commercials is now composed of political ads that are all negative.  It's hard to tell in most cases who is financing them because at the end of the spot it simply says, "this ad paid for by (insert some patriotic sounding foundation)".  We don't know who they are, but it couldn't be clearer who they support.  In the rest of the ads, the support message in 90% of the examples is the opponent to the person or issue they are advertising about.

I remember when I was in grammar school and junior high school, and had the opportunity to run for some class office, I would put posters on the wall or give a speech to the voters, and I would say what I planned to do.  I would talk about my qualifications and experience and why I would be the better choice.  Is there one ad on TV or radio that you have seen or heard over the last week that does that?

What has happened to civility?

These ads don't give me time to think.  In a 30 second ad, I see unflattering pictures of a candidate, covered by flying word graphics that zoom out at me calling them liars, liberals, right wingers, thieves, and worse.  They spout 'facts' in rapid fashion that are not supported by any evidence.  In almost all cases it is obvious that most statements and suppositions presented are taken out of context.  After I am assaulted (which is the only apt description of the effect of these things) with the message, I have to chuckle at the brazen effort to misinform....and yet... I wonder if most of the people who see these things are as critical of their impact as I am.  Judging from the poll results, I think not.

What has happened to veracity?

The truth simply holds no value any more.  People running for office, and more precisely their handlers and 'advisors' seem to be advocates of whatever means justify the end of getting them elected.  What does that say about us as a people and a civilized society?  I wonder if campaigns by the founders of our country back in the late 1700s and early 1800s had the same attitudes about truth?

My favorite ads are the ones that make conceptual leaps that are classic examples of bait and switch.  For example, we have several constitutional amendments on the ballot here in Florida this election cycle.  One of them mandates a citizen's right to review and vote on changes to a comprehensive development plan when changes are proposed.  Currently, changes to a comprehensive development plan are made by local politicians who are, in many cases, in the pockets of special interests and developers.  Proposition 4 amends the Florida constitution to mandate a referendum vote by the citizens if there are changes proposed to a comprehensive plan.  The idea is to provide a check and balance against developers who try to 'buy' changes that will benefit them, usually at the expense of local citizens.  There are good arguments pro and con, and there should be a reasoned and thorough debate before a change is made to a state constitution.

However, what opponents to this proposition claim in their ad--in 30 seconds--is that supporters of Proposition 4  are 'the same people who supported Obamacare, raised taxes, plunged the country into debt and voted in lockstep with Obama, Reid and Pelosi'.  The ad doesn't mention anything about the pros and cons of the issue!  What kind of political advertising is this?  Does it attempt to educate the voter?  The ad has unflattering pictures of Obama, Pelosi, Harry Reid, graphics that have downward pointing arrows for the economy and upward accelerating arrows representing skyrocketing taxes. 

The problem is that Joe Citizen, sitting in front of his TV sipping a beer before dinner, is left only with the impression that Amendment 4 is another tax raising, debt increasing measure being forced through by those liberal, socialist Democrats.  That is just patently wrong, but no matter!  The average citizen will not take the time to study this issue and on election day will step into the voting booth and vote 'No' on this issue without understanding the pros and cons.

The question we have to ask as a democracy is what is our obligation to control the spread of rumor, misleading statement, character assassination, half truths and outright lies.  Maybe we should insist that they go back to grammar school and remember and re-learn how to run for office again!