Political advertising in Iowa appears to be “politics as usual.” This December, $10 million was spent on television and radio ads in Iowa by Republican candidates and, to a larger extent, Super PACs.
$10 million could feed 40 million hungry children! This kind of spending, however, is not new to politics. And there’s nothing new about public disgust over the wastefulness of spending millions of dollars on political ads.
What’s new is the possibility of nominating a presidential candidate that has yet to spend a penny on advertising.
Thanks to Americans Elect, a nonpartisan nonprofit whose mission is to nominate a presidential candidate through an online voting process, there is a real possibility of having a third option on the ballot in 2012. A candidate chosen by the people and the issues, not advertising, and not a political party.
Advertisements do play a role in politics–mainly to inform the public that otherwise wouldn’t pay attention to politics, about the candidates. Yet it’s long overdue we have an alternative to choosing a candidate by the amount of money they spend on advertising, trying to sway public opinion with empty slogans, little information and misleading attack ads.
If Americans Elect succeeds in getting a third candidate on the ballot without spending big bucks on ads, people may decide it is no longer necessary to donate money to primary election campaigns.
A world with no political ads? I think I’ll survive just fine.