I wonder what would happen if a political candidate ran a campaign with no attack ads.

Can you imagine it – a politician earning votes just on their platform without interrupting every single commercial break for months on end?

As refreshing as this would be, the reality is that candidate would get murdered at the polls. 

You might think you’re immune to these ads. You might think they’re just white noise. You may bemoan their arrival and rejoice at their departure the day after the election.

But no matter how much the majority of America complains about the persistence of negative political ads, the constant commercials aren’t going anywhere.

Why? Because political attack ads work.  Continue reading →