CULTURE WATCH : The Negative Approach Works
Voters may complain about negative campaigning, but it isn’t likely to go away, says a political scientist at the University of Rochester.
“Historically, there have been basically two kinds of voters,” says Professor William Riker, “those who know what they want, and those who aren’t sure.
“The ‘not sure’ types often know less, think less and care less than those who have made up their minds,” he explains. “They are the persuadable voters whose support every successful campaign needs.”
However, these voters are also more easily frightened, Riker says: “They don’t want to wake up the day after the election thinking, ‘What a disaster!’ ”
Therefore, he adds, emphasizing negative things about an opponent or an opposing position is a perfectly rational--and effective--campaign tactic.
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