Re: Ban Political Ads

Caleb — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:06:18 -0000

I can't seem to reply over on the original thread but banning political ads is almost the most un-American thing a person could do. We need more free speech not less.

Another approach might be to regulate the prices charged for ads, at least on broadcast radio and tv, to make it more equitable or even require stations to run X number of ads for free. There are a lot of options on both this and financing that could theoretically work without limiting free speech.

However, I think this year has shown us just how much you can acheive with grassroots funding. Obama's internet fund-raising and message spreading and his ability to mobilize volunteers has really been a political game changer. There's really no reason why any of the independents couldn't do nearly as well if they had the right message and the charisma.

As for the debates, my understanding is that they limit it to people with 15% support in the polls. Which doesn't seem unreasonable to me. Otherwise what criteria would you use to keep every debate from going the way of California's Gubenatorial recall election with Porn Star Mary Cary, and a hundred other C or D list celebrities getting on the ballot just for publicity's sake?

I think now, more than ever. A really good third party candidate could use the internet to get more than 15% in the polls, get in the debates and or win. We just haven't seen a really good third party candidate come along yet. There are still more obstacles to clear for a third party candidate but look at who the front runner is now. It's not like Obama hasn't had some extra hurdles to jump. It seems to have helped him in the long run.

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Re: Ban Political Ads