Political Attack Ads, circa 1800

Obviously these ads aren't from 1800, the messages contained in them were what the Jefferson and Adams camps were saying about each other during the election of 1800. Perhaps that's the true conspiracy in American politics, the idea that things "were" better, yet they never really were.

Simply hilarious. lol. Some things never change.

Very well done!

My take is just like anything else that we are bombarded with its the media in which the ads are delivered.

In 1800, it was print. People read more. But those were just passing words. Both candidates (or the numerous amounts of them) could say such things because how long would it be perpetuated? One day most likely in a major newspaper.

Then radio comes along. In its infancy was more entertainment, regular folk talking and a bit of news thrown in. Mostly local as syndication was no where near what we see today. So local politicians would get to hear their words perpetuated a bit more than the print media, but still was brief and usually unnoticed.

Then comes along that wonderful narrow tube in which a vast amount of people pour their lives into; the television. Now words can be put to faces. Faces to words. Graphics! Bangs! Fear! (Just look at the famous Daisy ad campaign....most likely the first true negative attack ad that was based in projected assumptions.)

Now we have today....Twitter, Facebook, ATS, the whole Internet...the World at your fingertips. We have 24-hour news cycles driven by ratings. Viewers drive ratings. Ratings drive advertisement. Advertisement drives viewers.

What one says or does in the world of today is instantly known. It is archived in the great depths of the media and the internet. It is saved. It is clipped and cut for ones purposes.

Context be damned! Can't you see I am running for office!

So yes, these words, along with every other politician that has ran for office that was held with free elections has slighted their opponent in some way or another. Some nastier, some cleaner.