As usual, I am listening to interviews, looking up platforms, and looking at views that have evolved over time, across the Colorado candidates. What I see then happening on the attack ads on TV and radio are, frankly, more appalling each consecutive election cycle.
What’s even more disturbing each year is the amount of “dark money” that flows into these campaigns each cycle. We’re talking north of 90% of the funding used for attack ads and flowing directly into campaigns … and that’s just on the democrat side. GOP is also seeing this, but much closer to 65%-70% dark money. But the bottom-line dollars are huge. Go check out https://www.opensecrets.org/political-action-committees-pacs/industry-detail/Q02/2022 for just one view into the PACs (and that view is before election season even moved into high gear). Those numbers have blown up since that report was published…
What is the result? Simple: Attack ads after attack ads. While that’s normal, it’s also alarming, as the ads attacking Colorado state and national office candidates are patently false in their accusations far more that 50% of the time (by my own admittedly rough math). This is far more prevalent on, yes, the democrat side, simply because they have massive deep pockets from outside PACs to produce more ads and run them over and over. George Soros donors, North Fund donors, and other massive outside PACs are plowing money into Colorado ad buys, mostly going to attack GOP contenders. Now, to be fair, I see similar GOP attack ads, although the context of the attacks are more exaggerations of impacts of voting records, etc. The ads on the democrat super PACs are, in many cases, direct lies of stated positions. Example: One candidate being attacked clearly stated several years back a position on abortion that was completely pro-life. In the last several years, however, that candidate has gone on record time and again stating a more moderate support for banning mid- and late-term abortions. This, by the way, coincides with over 60% of the population in every major poll. Yes, every major poll. But the ad doesn’t care – it clipped excerpts from years past and plays them dozens of times per day. I have numerous examples of this – on both sides.
Eventually, the uneducated masses (because they are too lazy to actually look this stuff up) start to believe what the TV tells them. Do your homework, folks!
What’s the solution? Well, here’s my suggestion: Do NOT allow any ads to be aired or printed in the state of Colorado unless they allow at least 25% of their ads space or air time (that they pay for) to be given to the opposing candidate or position, to refute/explain (right then and there) their actual position. Make it a state law. My guess – that will catch on like wildfire across the country. And it will probably clean up a lot of the absolute BS being put out on ads as scare tactics.
But again, we have responsibilities to vote, and with that vote comes the responsibility to be informed. But don’t trust anyone to form your opinion – trust your own examination of the facts as you have discovered them. Then you’ll quite probably be as shocked and annoyed as I am, with every commercial break.
