Campaign Ads

Here’s a simple reform that would do wonders for minimizing the power of what Jefferson called “the moneyed interests” to destroy democracy: Ban all political TV ads and replace them with one- to two-hour, free, daily debates, starting one month prior to elections. Polls show Americans detest political ads more than any other aspect of campaigns. Political TV ads are already banned in several Scandinavian countries.

By forcing the networks (which, we must never forget, lease for nothing our publicly owned airwaves) to give the debate time away for free, we can cut campaign costs by as much as half. By replacing TV ads with substantial time for debates, we also eliminate the deceptiveness and inevitable negativity inherent in TV ads and the public’s dumbing down and the serious droop in voter turnout that invariably result from such negative TV ads. Anyone interested can contact me at TVboycott@aol.com.

GARY KRANE, Exec. Dir.

TV & Democracy Campaign

Van Nuys