In just under two weeks we’ll arrive at the end of the filing period for many of the political offices that will be voted upon in our state and local elections.
There will be incumbents coming back, some fresh new faces, and some who have run before and all are looking for a chance at success.
You’ll be inundated with media of all kinds – outdoor advertising, radio, TV, social media, newspapers, and direct mail. Everyone involved in “the media” knows there’s always a bit more money around in a year with elections (and Olympics).
As certain as I am that day follows night, I know that most, if not all of the candidates will message some form of “Working for YOU”, and that some anonymous Washington, D.C. entity with a nebulous name will go massively negative on at least one of the candidates. Oh, and don’t forget the incessant fundraising.
I’m a student of history and “working for you” started popping up in the 1930s with the explosive growth of government. It’s not going to go away. It’s a recurring theme in political campaigns, and with good reason. Government puts it ham-fisted mark on so much of what we do every day. A good politician will help their constituents navigate the morass that they created.
“Constituent services” is a critical part of what will keep politicians in office, and it should be top of the list for any newly elected public servant. It’s dealing with the alphabet soup that is government. DOT, DMV, SOS, AG; the list goes on and on. You’re not going to get what you deserve; you’re going to get what’s expedient for some bureaucrat. You’ll need someone in your corner to help. That’s where your elected officials become very, very important.
Negative campaigning has been around since day one. John Quincy Adams supporters distributed the “Coffin Handbills” against Andrew Jackson in 1828. They didn’t tell the reader a thing about Adams. They did tell you how awful Jackson would be as President.
There were also slanderous allegations about his wife that were used as negative campaigning. That’s nearly 200 years ago, and I’m sure if Photoshop were around then, they would have put his head, powdered wig and all, on a pig’s body for their “handbills”.
I don’t think we have become more sophisticated about negative campaigning, but we might be a little more civil. Some of the early negative campaigns were simply brutal, and like today, no member of the candidates’ family are spared. We have seen negative campaigning use allegations from when the candidate was a child. At some point, it is insulting to the intelligence of the recipient.
Negative campaigning is an attempt to trigger fear. “If elected, he’s going to start World War III!” “He’s a RINO!” (whatever that is), or “She votes with the commie, socialist scum of the other party 470% of the time!”
None of it is true, but it might move some voters.
Negative campaigning is ideally suited for today’s election cycles, which are typically short. The fear needs to be constantly reinforced for it to be effective, and campaigns will repeat the same message frequently and through many different media outlets.
If it didn’t work, the professionals who run political campaigns would not spend so much money doing it.
While I was writing this, I received two fundraising messages – “$5 could make all the difference in these final hours” (from a presidential candidate) and “If I don’t raise $11,231.24 in the next four hours, we are going to have to drop out”.
Really now…. I guess my five bucks won’t make a difference.
Here’s a collection of some from just this political season:
“Friend, your name is still Missing.”
“We have to win, or people will die.”
“YOUR NAME WILL BE REMOVED.”
“It’s not looking good …”
While I’m sure there are really smart folks who are penning these fundraising letters, I have to question its intent.
Again, they would not continue along these lines if it didn’t work, but sometimes I wonder if the young staffers who are responsible for this could not use a bit more adult supervision.
I know your mailbox, both postal and email, will be full. You’ll chuckle at some of it. Your intelligence will be insulted by a chunk of it, and some of it will make it to the trash bin, directly or after a short detour to the bottom of the bird cage.
So, let the games begin! The political season is upon us.
I guarantee you’ll have a front-row seat.
