A. Barton Hinkle on the Liberal Obsession with Political Advertising
If the great unspoken wish of campaign "reformers" is to allow party pros to control elections, and have "outside groups" sit on the sidelines, then their great unspoken fear is that campaign ads might actually persuade. After all, if campaign ads never worked, then who spent what on them would not matter. This raises two possibilities, writes A. Barton Hinkle. The first is that the people are so incredibly stupid a few 30-second spots can lead them by the nose. If that is the case, then the real objection is not advertising—but democracy itself.