1. Election Ads are Essays Or at least they should be...

2. They have a thesis: Vote for Doheny Vote for Owens Don’t vote for Owens Don’t vote for Doheny  What is the difference between a positive and a negative thesis in this case?  Is the negative thesis ethical?

3. They have evidence Voting records Public stands on issues Candidate’s education Employment/experience Goals/plans Party affiliations Endorsements Family  What types of evidence are these?  What should be included?

4. And they have evi(l)dence The Big Lie  “[Owens] needs to explain why he hasn't talked about his support of Obamacare, his support of more than $1.2 trillion in federal spending, his failure to stay in Washington and fight for action -- or even vote for action -- on the biggest tax hikes in recent American history.  “... top executives got $35 million in bonuses, while he laid off 500 American workers. No wonder Matt Doheny signed a pledge to protect tax breaks for companies that send jobs overseas." Emotional Language Candidate Doheny is "pushing an agenda that runs an all-out assault on Upstate seniors, veterans, and the disabled." “One vote could have stopped the biggest tax increase in American history — and that vote was Bill Owens."

5. And they have evi(l)dence “ Who We Are” Accuracy In Media is a non-profit, grassroots citizens watchdog of the news media that critiques botched and bungled news stories and sets the record straight on important issues that have received slanted coverage. http://www.aim.org

6. Consider these past ads “Tank Ride” 1988—Bush vs. Dukakis “Daisy” 1964—Johnson vs. Goldwater “Willie Horton” 1988—Bush vs. Dukakis “Any Questions” 2004—Bush vs. Kerry

7. What can we learn from this? Political ads are full of emotional language or images; often resort to ad hominem attacks rely more on bad than good types of evidence in general; are misleading at best and false at worst; assume the gullibility and even ignorance of the electorate in their techniques.

8. Should politicians who stoop to unethical ads be voted out of office?  What control does a local candidate have?  Is victory worth more than ethics? Political ads are biased and should not be used to make voting decisions.  How should we make political decisions? What Should We Do?