I can't take these ads anymore

[The dane]

It doesn't seem to matter what the adds say, people are scared of ISIS and Ebola, so they vote for the party that gives them nice simple answers. The answers may not make any sense, but scared people aren't thinking logically anyway.

[nordictruce]

I'm just waiting on the ad

"Congressman X voted with Barack Obama on Obamacare and Obama brought Ebola from Africa with him where he was born. Vote no to Ebola"

[Philly]

[gla22]

I am beginning to realize most Americans are functionally retarded. Out of a few enclaves that actually build and create things without the functional 10% of the population the U.S. would look like Liberia. America is pretty much a 3rd world country with a first world infrastructure.

[Indy]

Obviously attack ads work or else billions would not be dumped into them every time. Perhaps the reason we're where we are now is because they have a two-fold effect: they appeal to the lower common denominator of active voters and they turn off potential/swing voters who decide it's not worth it.

What kills me about them is how dumb they are--seriously, they're scripted and acted (and scored) as if they're aimed at preschoolers.

That probably also has a lot to do with the houses that crank these things out. I wonder what it would be like if somebody ran a really witty, not-dumbed-down TV campaign.

I won't hold my breath.

Debates are another totally useless exercise. All they are at this point is the two candidates hurling talking points at each other and trying to get applause zingers. Then everybody runs to a camera to judge who "won." Let me answer that: nobody did.

[Mr. Shaman]