Countdown to Primaries
by Brooks Newkirk
New York’s primary elections are only two days away. For New Yorkers, that means there’s only two days left of pesky ad campaigns that clog our mailboxes and takeover the airways. Sure, politicians have an agenda to push (i.e. lower taxes, education reform, etc.), but what about ads for the latest diet fad or anti-aging cream or male enhancement product? That’s serious stuff that we need to know about, but instead we’re getting this:
Republican Carl P. Paladino has come up with a smelly way to let New Yorkers know he’s the best candidate for governor. His new mailers show the faces of Democrats who have faced ethical or legal problems, including U.S. Rep. Charles B. Rangel and Gov. David Patterson, with the tag: “The Stink of Corruption in Albany is Overpowering”. He drills in his point by scenting the mailers with the odor of rotting vegetables.
Nassau District Attorney Kathleen Rice and State Senator Eric Schneiderman, opponents in the democratic attorney general race, both released new television ads bashing each other. Rice’s ads alluded to Schneiderman being a party-machine and Schneiderman snapped back with TV spots calling Rice a “Democrat only since 2005”.
Bob Friedrich, who’s running against incumbent Queens state Assemblyman David Weprin, is bashed his opponent with new mailer. In his mailer, Friedrich says he doesn’t believe the Park51 mosque belongs at Ground Zero, while Weprin “believes otherwise”.
There’s nothing wrong with ads that are used to inform, but when politicians use them solely to bash their opponents, they can become a pesky problem and the message is totally lost.