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Hidden Danger in Political Advertising

July 23rd, 2007 by Bob Bly

The hidden danger in political advertising centered on a candidate’s ideology is that voters will misinterpret it, disagree with it, or both.

A case in point: a local political candidate ran a radio spot today.

In it, he asserted that every American has these inalienable rights:

1. A good job at a living wage.
2. Decent, affordable housing.
3. A good education.
4. Quality health care.

At first glance, this seems both admirable and hard to argue with.

But let’s go through them one at a time:

1. A good job at a decent wage — sounds good in theory. But are you going to force business owners to employ undesirable candidates at wages their skills and experience don’t justify just to make good on this promise.

2. Decent, affordable housing — does this mean the government provides free housing to those who can’t buy their own? If so, what’s my incentive to work and earn rent money?

3. A good education — I can’t argue here. I’m all for getting rid of the tenure system and holding teachers more accountable.

4. Quality health care — should we have socialized medicine that puts a cap on what doctors can earn? Being a medical doctor is so difficult and demanding, won’t more would-be doctors select a different profession if they can’t earn what they’re worth in medicine?

The candidate who paid for this radio spot is running as a liberal Democrat.

Does his 4-point ideology fit the bill of a liberal Democrat?

Or is it nothing more than a Socialist agenda?

Would you vote for him?

Or at the very least, rewrite his commercial?

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This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 4:53 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

110 responses about “Hidden Danger in Political Advertising”

  1. Stephen Dean said:

    >Does his 4-point ideology fit the bill of a liberal Democrat?
    >Or is it nothing more than a Socialist agenda?

    I thought these were the same?!

  2. John Dumbrille said:

    Inalienable rights are tough – if not impossible – to prove. They are based on values beyond the rights of property so I’d say this places him as a liberal democrat. I don’t see any socialist connotation, the term is entirely pejorative anyway, isn’t it?
    And yes, I’d vote for him.

  3. Jim Logan said:

    You asked four questions at the end. Here are my answers:

    1. Yes.
    2. Yes.
    3. No.
    4. Impossible. Leopards can’t change their spots.

    The best post you’ve written yet 🙂

  4. John Dumbrille said:

    He does fit the bill of a social democrat! Sounds like someone interested in more than the rights of provate property, but socialist – you’ve got to be kidding. ‘Afforable housing’ sounds ominious – does he have any idea how much that could cost? I’d have him run on – being anything but a Bush republican!

  5. Dianna Huff said:

    Bob,

    The only inalienable rights Americans have: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

    No one promised us a rose garden, good jobs, or decent housing, although John Adams did write in free education into the Massachusetts Constitution — a point with which I agree.

    The state / fed government should provide all of us with a quality education. Then the remaining points listed above would take care of themselves.

    Live Free or Die. Death is not the worst of evils.

  6. Gloria Hildebrandt said:

    As a Canadian, I have the experience of living “free” and enjoying excellent health care and getting help with a good education, which can lead to a good job and affordable housing. There are still parts of the country where house prices are reasonable. There is nothing to fear from a socialist agenda, only a chance at good basic treatment for all. Try it — I think you’ll like it.

  7. Michael Roach said:

    I’ll just echo Jim Logan’s 4 answsers… and maybe add to #3 that I couldn’t vote for him anyway. 🙂

  8. Michael said:

    Sounds like what a liberal Democrat would believe in, but it’s really just thinly disguised socialism. Whenever people declare that things should be free, they always seem to neglect factoring in just “who” is going to pay for whatever they feel should be “free” (Notice that when they say things should be free, they always want some third party to pay for it. Free education? Free housing? You get what you pay for).

  9. Steve Slaunwhite said:

    I agree with Gloria.

    I’m an entrepreneur. A conservative. But I love the free healthcare I get here in Canada.

    We may have to wait in line for some services. (A problem the government is under pressure to fix.) But we never have to worry about hefty insurance premiums or having some HMO or insurer say No to a treatment option.

    And, Bob, the doctors are paid very well. And their administrative costs are much lower than their American counterparts.

  10. Riel Langlois, comic book writer said:

    I’d rewrite his commercial, because it’s the equivalent of the generic Miss America answer “I’d like to make the world a better place.”

    I’d pick one specific issue and set a specific goal for it.

    For example, “I’ll work to open four free clinics in these four areas:…”

    You can’t please all of the people all of the time. But I believe people respect a realistic goal over vague, feel-good comments – even if they don’t expect to directly benefit.

  11. Curtis said:

    Bob,

    As usual, the claims are bland, without specifics and simple political rhetoric.

    But, let’s assume the candidate can get something done about these issues (which as one of your astute readers already pointed out are not really consitutional)…

    …where will the money come from?

    I don’t want to pay more in taxes…do the other readers who would support this candidate?

    As a pharmacist who works at a community health center I can assure the readers that we are about as close as you can get to socialized health-care.

    Frankly, bluntly – it does not work. It is a strain on the system financially. Medicaid in my state was going bankrupt because of it and had to cut back on mediations covered and up the copays charged.

    Unemployment in my patient population is sky high. Young, able-bodied adults walk in daily when they could be working. But what motivation is there to work when things are given to you?

    I know my comments may seem harsh to some – but it is simply the reality of the situation.

    BTW – I was in Canada last year (Sask.) and the residents I spoke with railed against the health care system. Perhaps this was an isolated incident? But then again, maybe not.

    Best,
    Curtis

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