The Year of the Attack Ads

They are down and dirty.

By: Tim Bryce – Columnist News Talk Florida

2016 will go down as the year of the most visceral attack ads we have seen in a presidential election year, and that is saying a lot after watching such campaigns for over fifty years.  Both sides, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, have their fair share of television commercials; to illustrate:

CLINTON ADS –

Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4

TRUMP ADS

Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Sample 4
Sample 5

The Clinton ads exclusively attack Trump.  There is no comparison between the candidates or a description of her policies.  Her goal is to assassinate Trump’s character by portraying him as immoral.  This is rather ironic as Mrs. Clinton in the one who has been under constant investigation since Benghazi.

Mr. Trump, on the other hand, has only one ad in his arsenal focusing exclusively on Mrs. Clinton.  The rest are either used to draw a comparison between the two candidates, or to describe his position on various subjects.  In other words, Trump’s ads tend to be more upbeat and talk about making America great again.

whereas the public has come to learn of Trump’s position on such things as immigration, the economy, trade, energy, etc., we really know little about Mrs. Clinton’s thoughts on these subjects as she doesn’t mention them in her ads.  Because she also avoids the press, it is hard to pin her down on any particular subject.  Trump on the other hand is more open to the media, and even though they don’t like him, he has made his positions clear.

Although Mrs. Clinton is spending millions on advertising, Trump’s rallies and other visits have garnered more face time on the networks, thereby assuring his message gets out.  For example, consider the week of August 29th where Trump went from a rally in Everett, Washington to meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, to a rally in Arizona where he delivered his ten point immigration plan, to the American Legion convention in Cincinnati, to a rally in Wilmington, Ohio, to visiting the Great Faith Ministries in Detroit.  Frankly, I don’t know where he gets the energy to do all this.

The point is, while Trump hustles around the country for votes, the press is covering his every move and affording him many hours of air time.  On the other hand, Mrs. Clinton relies on her television ads and is rarely seen in public, nor accessible to the press.

Mrs. Clinton’s last chance to regain the spotlight is at the upcoming presidential debates.  As I’ve mentioned, both candidates have to express confidence and look presidential.  Mr. Trump will likely take the offense, particularly when the moderators try to provoke him.  If Mrs. Clinton balks at answering some of the questions about her alleged indiscretions, or lies, Trump will pounce.  It will certainly be entertaining.

Keep the Faith!