The 2016 campaign is set to get even nastier. That’s not such a bad thing.
John Stossel writes:
Every year some candidates say, “I will run a positive campaign.”
Part of my brain says, “That would be nice; maybe we’ll learn more about their plans.” But research shows that’s rarely true. Fluffy “positive” ads don’t tell us much.
This year Bernie Sanders ran ads showing him hugging people while cheering crowds surrounded him and singers sang “All come to look for America.”
What does that even mean?
The beauty of negative ads is that the accusations at least purport to be facts. Vanderbilt University political scientist John Geer found that three-quarters of negative political ads from 1960 to 2004 attacked real statements of policy from the opposing candidate. Such policy statements can be checked.
from Hit & Run http://ift.tt/1XzlfqS
via IFTTT