Politics???

If you have watched TV or listened to the radio in the last few months, you have heard a political ad or two.

Many of us see these ads and think about how the upcoming election will effect the arts. What will happen to the funding for museums, school arts programs, and much more. I do not have the answers but I try to keep these issues in mind whenever I consider my political choices... but here's my problem. Most of the ads I see don"t say anything good. The ads for both sides seem to be more concerned with telling the bad things about the other guy rather than telling me what I need to know to make an informed decision on the issues.

Being a history buff, I started wondering when this type of ad became the norm. How long have the attack ads been used? I started to research attack ads and found that these ads have been used for almost as long as we have had political parties in this country. As I researched, I found that many of the stories I read mentioned a single ad that ran in 1964. The "Daisy Ad" from the 64 presidential race seems to be the most influential attack ad of the modern era.

The ad was incendiary and was only aired once during the campaign. Since it aired it has been referenced by politicos, comedians, sit-coms, history shows, and even in "Return of the Living Dead." It has been included in museum exhibitions and political lectures, and now you can see it from YouTube below.

It appears that these ads are here to stay. I would rather they became part of history.





~ Joe

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