The NYT-industrial complex was in high dudgeon on Sunday, with hall monitor Page One pieces in both the New York Times and the Boston Globe on the sad state of political advertising.
From the Times:
TV Attack Ads Aim at Obama Early and Often
Inside the debate halls, the clash may be Republican versus Republican. But offstage, conservatives are mounting a unified and expensive air assault on the candidates’ common opponent: President Obama.
Nearly a year before Election Day, Republican presidential candidates and conservative action groups are already spending heavily on television advertising aimed at casting Mr. Obama as a failure.
Their tactics, the aggressive and sometimes misleading kind not typically used until much further along in a campaign season, have led to a spat with Democrats in what is shaping up to be the most costly election advertising war yet.
Numerous examples ensue.
From the Globe:
Deceptive campaign ads hint at year of mudslinging
Perry, Romney spots take Obama out of context; ‘low bar’ is set, critics say
With nearly a year until the election, evidence is mounting that the presidential race is going to feature a rough, negative, and confusing advertising onslaught.
Rick Perry and Mitt Romney have each aired ads that take President Obama’s words out of context, drawing howls of protest from Democrats but no apologies from the Republicans’ campaigns.
Romney aides even said they were proud of the reaction and suggested that the ad was deliberately misleading to garner attention.
Voter beware: This could be just a taste of things to come.
Reader beware: This is just a taste of things to come from the NYT-industrial complex.