Attack Ads Shaping the Presidential Race, 2008

The 2008 presidential campaign is already destined to be one of the most controversial presidential campaigns in the history of our democratic process. Primarily because the strongest contender for the Whitehouse will be a woman or an African American, a first in US history this campaign will surely go down in history. Secondarily, the beginning months of the new administration established in November of 2008 may be the future to success or peace between the United States and a war-torn middle east.

Along with any presidential campaign comes heated exchange via attack ads, which will surely play a new and distinctive role in this controversial important campaign in a couple of ways. Attack ads often play a devastating role in campaigns. John Kerry is a famous example, falling hard during the 2004 presidential race after swift boat veterans called him a liar in a series of commercials. Attacking another candidate via ads is even now referred to as "swift boating" a candidate after the 2004 mess. Unfortunately, such ads are rarely factual. But despite this fact, and the claim that over 60% of Americans do not take such ads too seriously, the attack ads have proven, in the past, to be quite effective.

The first reason for the leering presence of a substantial amount of such ads in the upcoming presidential race is the controversy described above. Such an important and polarizing race will certainly create passionate camps all along the political spectrum that will stop at nothing to promote the digression of their supporter's opponent. Special interest groups will ban together, as in the past, to portray candidates in a negative light in attempt to gain support for their candidate of choice.

Another reason that attack ads will play an unprecedented part in this campaign is because of the Internet's new role in the broadcast of these ads. The Internet provides a new frontier for tech gurus; any of who can create attack ads, with whatever false material they choose to exploit, and post it online. Internet attack ads have already played a role in the democratic. One such add focused on Hillary Clinton, was posted on some key political blogs and viewed by millions of viewers around the country. This election will tell us a lot about how candidates will deal with such ads on the Internet.

The 2008 presidential election will certainly mark a new era in attack ads. Between the controversy surrounding the most popular candidates and the passion their camps derive, and the Internet's new role in media, attack ads will certainly shape campaign tactics. Look out for countering websites for candidates to keep the facts straight, heated attack ads from candidate to candidate, and a focus from the major media outlets such as CNN and Fox News on Internet born ads.

Because of the presence of these attack ads, and their rapid evolution to exploit new technology, the 2008 presidential campaign will mark a new era in campaign behavior.