Althouse: Have you noticed the political ads you're watching these days don't say "I'm [whoever] and I approve this message"?

October 8, 2014

Have you noticed the political ads you're watching these days don't say "I'm [whoever] and I approve this message"?

I was just watching this new Scott Walker ad, saying "Mary Burke lied," and became conscious — I think for the first time — of the missing personal statement of approval of the ad. I guess I'd lost track of what I see is called the "Stand by Your Ad" provision. It was part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (AKA McCain-Feingold).

I don't hear it anymore because I don't watch TV ads or listen to radio ads. I use a DVR to skip ads when I watch TV, and I listen to commercial free satellite radio in my car. (Yes, I also listen to Rush Limbaugh, but I pay for the podcast and get it commercial free.)

The political commercials I watch are on line, and "Stand By Your Ad," passed in 2002, pre-YouTube, doesn't apply to on-line advertising. There have been proposals to extend it, but they've gone nowhere.

63 comments:

mccullough said...: Why would it apply to an ad for state office?; 10/8/14, 11:22 AM
Bob R said...: The idea that the government can regulate political speech in any way, shape, or form is an obvious violation of the first amendment. The mental gymnastics that people do to convince themselves otherwise astound me.; 10/8/14, 11:28 AM
Thorley Winston said...: I'd be in favor of requiring political ads to not only disclose the name of the organization but also the chair/leader of the organization and their treasurer in each spot.; 10/8/14, 11:35 AM
Anonymous said...: The idea that the government can regulate political speech in any way, shape, or form is an obvious violation of the first amendment

"Vote in favor of this bill and I'll give you $1000" is political speech at its purest. Should that be allowable?; 10/8/14, 11:43 AM
The Crack Emcee said...: Ann,

"I don't hear it anymore because I don't watch TV ads or listen to radio ads. I use a DVR to skip ads when I watch TV,..."

I've noticed my friends do this as well. But I also notice everything they miss as they zip past - ads that are funny, informative, whatever - on their way to whatever empty "entertainment" they're looking forward to.

And they're smug about it, which isn't psychologically healthy.

Pretending to be smarter than everyone else really dumbs some people down,...; 10/8/14, 11:43 AM
Darrell said...: They should get rid of internet ads when taking polls. . .; 10/8/14, 11:44 AM
Fernandinande said...: What do you think of the Stand By Your Ad requirement?

Unconstitutional.; 10/8/14, 11:45 AM
kcom said...: "Pretending to be smarter than everyone else really dumbs some people down,..."

Some White House occupants, you mean?; 10/8/14, 11:54 AM
Blue Ox said...: "Vote in favor of this bill and I'll give you $1000" is political speech at its purest. Should that be allowable?

How about "Vote for me and I'll lower your health insurance bill by $2500"?; 10/8/14, 12:14 PM
Unknown said...: I'm not sure how disclosing the source of an ad is "regulating political speech." It does not alter, inhibit, emphasize, etc. the political expression at all.

If one has the attitude that ANY regulation (like law type regulation) is verboten, how do you explain the legality of sales or income tax related to the ad?

And what about those statements in various government employment forms "Have you ever been a member of a group that advocated the violent overthrow of..." - is that not "regulating political speech"?; 10/8/14, 12:17 PM
garage mahal said...: Why not "Vote for me and I will send you $200". Or $500. Whatever it takes.

Cut out all the outside groups and PACs completely. It would be more honest and it would stimulate the economy at the same time.; 10/8/14, 12:18 PM
donald said...: Why cut anybody out?; 10/8/14, 12:38 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: kcom,

"Pretending to be smarter than everyone else really dumbs some people down,..."

Some White House occupants, you mean?"

No, the white folks who claim to watch, while they zip past the important stuff,...; 10/8/14, 12:40 PM
kcom said...: Keep telling yourself that.; 10/8/14, 12:53 PM
Oclarki said...: Speaking of naming names, I want to find out the names of the people who narrate the ads? They are either unbearably smug or nasty. It seems like there are only about four voice actors who do about 90% of the ads.; 10/8/14, 12:54 PM
tim maguire said...: I see it as a form of consumer protection. Like an ad i saw once of an attractive white woman in a Volvo on the highway, her two attractive white children in the backseat. (Cue scary music) SUDDENLY! A double-length tractor trailer appears behind her, tailgating her, looming over her and her precious children as she tightly grips the steering wheel, watching behind her more than in front of her...ohh nooo! You half expect to see a hockey mask and a chain saw. Ban them. Ban them! BAN THEM!

But instead you see: This message brought to you by the national railroad association.

Source matters.; 10/8/14, 12:54 PM
kcom said...: Here's the genius at work:

"I think that I’m a better speechwriter than my speechwriters,” Mr. Obama told Patrick Gaspard, his political director, at the start of the 2008 campaign, according to The New Yorker. “I know more about policies on any particular issue than my policy directors. And I’ll tell you right now that I’m going to think I’m a better political director than my political director.”"

And his lackeys add:

The White House takes pride in the fact that Obama’s PDB is “not briefed to him” – because, they say, he is “among the most sophisticated consumers of intelligence on the planet.”

It must be true, though, because we see every indication that's he consumed all of his and has nothing left.; 10/8/14, 12:59 PM
kcom said...: I don't know when it's ever been a sign of intelligence, or at least wisdom, for a leader to declare, in essence, "It's a waste of time for me to listen to anyone else."; 10/8/14, 1:01 PM
Tank said...: madisonfella said...

The idea that the government can regulate political speech in any way, shape, or form is an obvious violation of the first amendment

"Vote in favor of this bill and I'll give you $1000" is political speech at its purest. Should that be allowable?

This might be better and cheaper than what we have now.; 10/8/14, 1:17 PM
David said...: Burke lied. Nobody died.

No harm, no foul?

Anyway, why bother to accuse her of lying? People are drawing their conclusions. Why beat up on the helpless girl? It's so . . . . . maleish.; 10/8/14, 1:20 PM
Drago said...: CR

I was reading all the comments until I saw Crack's posting.

For some odd reason, I hit "fast forward" on it and skipped right past to kcom's next comment.

I doubt seriously I missed anything important.

Or even coherent.; 10/8/14, 1:20 PM
garage mahal said...: Burke lied. Nobody died

She is a piker next to Walker. Politifact says the most prolific lying governor in America.; 10/8/14, 1:21 PM
David said...: "Politifact says the most prolific lying governor in America."

There you go again, Garage.; 10/8/14, 1:23 PM
Lucid said...: > Why not "Vote for me and I will send you $200". Or $500. Whatever it takes.

People already sell their votes for lower taxes or goodies from the government. (It's even better When the government takes the goodies from your perceived enemies.) Accomplished politicians already run for office on using this.; 10/8/14, 1:25 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: "Politifact says the most prolific lying governor in America."

The funniest thing I've read on the Internet today. Mind-bendingly absurdist and I'm not even sure if mind-bendingly is a word.; 10/8/14, 1:29 PM
Anonymous said...: Inga writes;

""Vote in favor of this bill and I'll give you $1000" is political speech at its purest. Should that be allowable?"

Of course one should be allowed to say that.

Is it illegal under current law? I wouldn't think so.; 10/8/14, 1:29 PM
Drago said...: garage: "Politifact says the most prolific lying governor in America."

LOL

I'll bet Walker didn't even play contact sports in jr high!!!

Is there no end to his perfidy!!

garage, the dem wind up toy.; 10/8/14, 1:30 PM
Nonapod said...: I would venture that most of the regular readers of this blog are not the audience for any political ads. Most of us here are probably the type who inform themselves and find political ads worthless in their decision making process.

I find it depressing that political ads apparently work at all. I wish more people would go out of their way to learn stuff, but people have lives beyond an interest in politics I guess.; 10/8/14, 1:30 PM
Drago said...: kcom: "The White House takes pride in the fact that Obama’s PDB is “not briefed to him” – because, they say, he is “among the most sophisticated consumers of intelligence on the planet.”

The left is cultists all the way down.

Not to worry, obama too will be discarded in favor of the next left-cult hero who will be declared the smartest bestest most-wonderfulest dearest Leader evah!

As the last 100 years have shown, it is inevitable.; 10/8/14, 1:34 PM
kcom said...: "It's even better When the government takes the goodies from your perceived enemies."

Isn't that the best! It's not, "I'm going to give you my money if you vote for me." Instead, it's "I'm going to give you his money if you vote for me." A spiritual kin to "Let's you and him fight."

And that's what's so fundamentally corrupt about public employee unions. The politicians who support them know they don't have to pay for them. That's someone else's job. They just get the rewards in terms of campaign contribution kickbacks.; 10/8/14, 1:36 PM
garage mahal said...: I'll bet Walker didn't even play contact sports in jr high!!!

That's a pretty safe assumption I think.; 10/8/14, 1:39 PM
Bilwick said...: They're saying it down here in Georgia. Dweebish "liberal" Democrat Michelle Nunn is running for senator against Republican businessman David Perdue, and reports that the "liberal" Hive is taking particular interest in this race seem to be true, judging by Nunn's blitz of anti-Perdue ads on tv. It seems every time a tv show goes to a commercial, it's an anti-Perdue ad from Nunn. (A lot of Soros bucks must be pouring into Atlanta tv network coffers to finance this kind of deluge, with--I would roughly estimate--ten Nunn ads for every one from Perdue.) And they all say, "I'm Obama's stalking horse in Georgia Michelle Nunn, and I approved this message." (I invented part of that, but the disclaimer part is real.); 10/8/14, 1:39 PM
garage mahal said...: There you go again, Garage.

Yep. It's no secret that Walker is a serial liar, right?; 10/8/14, 1:42 PM
kcom said...: he is “among the most sophisticated consumers of intelligence on the planet.”

The more I think about that sentence, the more obnoxious it gets. How can you use the word "sophisticated" to describe a guy willfully ignoring a detailed source of information? Not every nuance can be equally conveyed through the written word. His approach isn't sophisticated, it's just the opposite, it's simple-minded and blinkered.; 10/8/14, 1:45 PM
traditionalguy said...: If the head man/woman says she stands by an ad, then the life of an ad will be very short indeed. The new digital world exposes their talking points faster than you can say iphone video.; 10/8/14, 1:45 PM
k said...: That line is only required for candidates for Federal office ... Congress, President. Not state and locals (unless a similar state law applies such a requirement, of course).; 10/8/14, 1:46 PM
Drago said...: garage: "That's a pretty safe assumption I think."

An even safer assumption is obama didn't.; 10/8/14, 1:56 PM
Jonathan Card said...: Garage: I looked at that page and I'm not really that impressed. They call it a lie when he said "overwhelmingly" minimum wage workers are teens and young people, when it's actually on 50 - 55%? That's not really a lie; it's just hyperbole.; 10/8/14, 2:16 PM
furious_a said...: Mary Burke's ad disclaimers end with...

"My name is Mary Burke, and George Soros approves this message."; 10/8/14, 2:53 PM
furious_a said...: Why not "Vote for me and I will send you $200". Or $500. Whatever it takes.

Plus the entertainment value of watching a mob of angry rock-throwing dupes outside said campaign office after getting stiffed on their payola.; 10/8/14, 2:56 PM
furious_a said...: And that's what's so fundamentally corrupt about public employee unions.

What's fundamentally corrupt about public sector unions is that they are nothing more than a scheme for laundering taxpayer funds (compulsory taxes used for civil service salaries) into campaign contributions (compulsory dues converted to campaign contributions).

Which was why Scott Walk so pissed of the Cheesehead Blue-fisters -- he was stepping on their air hose.; 10/8/14, 3:01 PM
Drago said...: Jonathan Card: "Garage: I looked at that page and I'm not really that impressed."

That's the same general impression most sane people have when clicking on one of garages links.; 10/8/14, 3:13 PM
garage mahal said...: What's fundamentally corrupt about public sector unions is that they are nothing more than a scheme for laundering taxpayer funds (compulsory taxes used for civil service salaries) into campaign contributions (compulsory dues converted to campaign contributions).

But why do you hate free speech? This witch hunt is just like rape, death warrants, Gulags and Guillotines! Para-military, even.; 10/8/14, 3:16 PM
furious_a said...: "The White House takes pride in the fact that Obama’s PDB is “not briefed to him”

Bullsh*t. Obama isn't briefed so that when ISIS or Ebola or some new, horrible surprise blows up in his face he can plausibly claim that the first he heard about it was in the newspaper that morning.

"The most sophisticated intelligence consumer on the planet" was the same naif who taunted ISIS as the Kobe-wannabe junior varsity before they overran Mosul.

Pres. Obama's more Bidenesque than Biden in his unshakeable self-confidence in his own ignorance. There's no teaching the man.; 10/8/14, 3:18 PM
furious_a said...: But why do you hate free speech?

"Voluntary dues" = "death squads"?

Who knew?; 10/8/14, 3:19 PM
garage mahal said...: Chilling free speech rights of workers is chilling. Again, like rape.; 10/8/14, 3:26 PM
Dopey said...: After 40 years I'm still terrified of citing constitutional law to a professor of constitutional law, but I think that the constitutionality of this requirement was addressed by the Supreme Court in McIntyre v. Ohio Election Commission, 514 U.S. 334 (1995)which overturned the criminal conviction of a woman charged with failure to put identifying information on yard signs opposing a bond issue.; 10/8/14, 3:58 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: I'm not sure who is a bigger retard, the brain dead reparations pimp Crack or the obese middle school athletic star Bitchtits Mahal.

I look forward to both of them crying like the little bitches they are in November.; 10/8/14, 4:00 PM
furious_a said...: "Voluntary dues" = "chilling".

Again, who knew? Only a desperate, blue-fisting shill would compare that to rape.; 10/8/14, 4:10 PM
Unknown said...: Using government money obtained through a contract to lobby for government policy is illegal. For businesses.; 10/8/14, 4:23 PM
Steven said...: I'm sorry, Garage, are you under the impression that Politifact has any credibility?; 10/8/14, 4:32 PM
garage mahal said...: I look forward to both of them crying like the little bitches they are in November.

I will still have a well paying job living comfortably. You'll still be an angry, unemployed, miserable internet troll who claims to be a lawyer.; 10/8/14, 4:37 PM
FullMoon said...: Crack MC acknowledges:Pretending to be smarter than everyone else really dumbs some people down,...

irony:a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.; 10/8/14, 4:41 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: Whatever you say Tubby.

Tell us more about your middle school athletic heroics.

I'm shocked, SHOCKED! that a wife would flee marriage from such virile stud. Those secret routers must have gotten to her.; 10/8/14, 4:48 PM
President-Mom-Jeans said...: I no longer wonder who the bigger retard is, I'm now sure it is Bitchtits.

At least Crack has his skin color to use as an excuse.; 10/8/14, 4:49 PM
garage mahal said...: Tell us more about your middle school athletic heroics.

Tell us more about your law degree. What law school did you graduate from?; 10/8/14, 5:42 PM
Joe said...: All political ads should be accompanied by something similar to the following:

"I am a lying, narcissistic hypocrite who isn't as smart as I pretend to be and will do anything to keep power if you vote for me and I approve this ad."; 10/8/14, 6:37 PM
Leo said...: All the ads here seem to be talking about abortion, which really doesn't seem to have anything to do with the offices being at issue...; 10/8/14, 7:02 PM
Birkel said...: "garage mahal":
The obvious brain damage caused by those middle school athletic events is horrific to observe. The coaches who forced you to compete in spite of the multiple concussions should be forced to pay. You're the Junior Seau of middle school sports, man.

Meanwhile, the Republicans look poised to win most of the Senate seats up for grabs and the majority. All we need now is "Jumpin' Joe Manchin" to switch parties and swing the West Virginia delegation to the Republicans. Won't that be grand.

Oh, and by the way, fuck almost any bill that John McCain endorsed. That gigantic douche nozzle should be ashamed for the way he treats the Constitution. Repeat after me: "shall make no law..."; 10/8/14, 7:29 PM
JamesB.BKK said...: How about:

"Vote for me, and I'll make Mike and Michele over there fork over $250 and I'll send $200 of that your way."; 10/8/14, 7:30 PM
Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...: "Re-form" is not a synonym for "improve." McCain-Feingold illustrates that.; 10/9/14, 2:27 AM
Rusty said...: Inga writes;

""Vote in favor of this bill and I'll give you $1000" is political speech at its purest. Should that be allowable?"

You're paying too much.
Ten bucks, tops. For a grand you can get a hundred homeless and illegals to vote four times each.; 10/9/14, 6:55 AM
ken in tx said...: Political ads should be secret for the same reason we have the secret ballot. It prevents intimidation and retribution for political differences,; 10/9/14, 3:30 PM