On the Attack

As in any presidential election, there are an abundance of politically charged and fiery attack ads that are aimed at the two major party candidates. These attack ads are important and worth noting, despite their inaccuracies, because as CNN commentator Darrell M. West stated these ads, "run emotional and inaccurate content designed to play on voter's fears and anxieties" (West).

Due to how these ads manipulate and feed upon the fears of the voters, they can be a candidate's worst nightmare. In fact, one of the first attack ads, which was created by the McCain camp, immediately appealed to the American citizen's uncertainty regarding national security.The ad, displays a picture of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, next to a picture of Barack Obama. The message is simple but explosive: "Is it OK to Unconditionally Meet with Anti-American Foreign Leaders?" As reporter Jed Lewison writes, " the visual imagery [suggests] that Barack Obama is somehow aligned with one of America's enemies" (Lewison).

The idea Obama is aligned with Ahmadinejad is ridiculous. Although, what makes this ad work is how it never directly ties Obama to the Iranian President, it just sends the message subliminally through its visual depiction. What is somewhat concerning about this ad is how it is successful at appealing to America's fear of anti-American leaders. While the majority of voters are hopefully able to see through this smokescreen, there are voters who's decisions may be altered by the alleged threat of an Obama- Ahmadinejad "alliance". While McCain may have been one of the first to sling the political mud, he was not the only one to get their hands dirty. In fact, it would be foolish to think that while McCain went on the offensive, Obama just sat on his hands and played nice.According to West, Obama's campaign has made claims that McCain: "supported a 1,000-year war in Iraq and therefore was not worthy of the presidency" (West).

This attack also appeals to voter tensions. At this point the majority of Americans do not support the U.S. effort in Iraq. In fact, an ABC news/ Washington Post Poll shows that 61% of Americans feel that the Iraq War is not worth fighting. That makes Obama's claim that McCain supports a 1,000 year war seem extremely unappealing, resulting in a negative view of the candidate.Despite inaccuracies and erroneous claims, attack ads, especially in an election of this magnitude, can have a huge impact on a voter's decision. Hopefully, the voter' will read up enough to navigate their way through the partisan smokescreen.

Sources: West M., Darrell, CNN, "Commentary: 2008 Campaign Attack Ads Hit An All Time Low", Sept 15, 2008, http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/15/west.negative/index.html

Lewison, Jed, The Jed Report, "McCain Launches First Negative Attack Ad of General Election", June 8, 2008, http://www.jedreport.com/2008/06/mccain-smears-o.html