# What's the greatest negative politcal TV ad you've ever seen? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 1, 2001, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978 "2001-11-01T20:09:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elvis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@Elvis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elvis)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/21 "2001-11-02T18:25:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pldennison \* > \*\*This is outside the bounds of the OP, but one of the best (in the sense of “most effective”) examples of negative campaigning was the Nixon crew’s absolute destruction of Edmund Muskie in 1972. The highlight was, of course, the anonymous letter in the conservative _Manchester Union_, two weeks before the New Hampshire primary, accusing Muskie of using the term “Canuck” in a derogatory manner to describe French Canadians. This, of course, led to Muskie’s speech in the snow in New Hampshire in which he appeared to be crying, and he was driven out of the race. Compared to that, the Nixon campaign against McGovern looked like a sack race. \*\* Not exactly a negative campaign ad, but an example of the CRP’s “ratfucking” or “dirty tricks,” which also included ordering dozens of pizzas to be delivered to big democratic events COD, and calling up an arena owner hours before a McGovern rally to tell him that hippies and troublemakers were expected to show, so they wanted him to close the arena and start the rally later. Nasty stuff. I believe the “canuck” letter was dreamed up by Charlie Colson, who was actually, I think, White House Counsel at the time. This was followed with some sort of slur against Muskie’s daughter, which prompted the display of tears that effectively ended Muskie’s presidential aspirations. Too bad, Muskie was a good guy. He was an alumnus of my undergrad alma mater, which is home to his “archive” and museum. IIRC, it was Goldwater whose slogan was “In your heart, you know he’s right.” This was amended by some to “In yuor heart, you know he’s right. Far right.” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/22 "2001-11-02T19:24:05Z")
Hmmm…what about the infamous RATS, or the Hate Crimes ad against Bush that showed a reenactment of the man who was dragged to death behind a truck? Both were pretty weak. I have to say one of the silliest was the Melissa Hart (Rep, PA R) against her opponent, who kept saying how he was going to raise your TAAAAAAAAXESSSSSS!!! Dr. Brett was constantly making fun of that ad. ---
**Author:** ![Kantalooppi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a5b964/32.png) [@Kantalooppi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kantalooppi)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/23 "2001-11-02T20:05:15Z")
Damn me for living in Finland. Our political candidates wouldn’t dream of having negative TV ads about the opposing candidates. Why, that kind of scurrilous attacking, that kind of libelous attack would be almost… almost… American in nature! However, there was one ad parody I remember quite clearly. We had presidential race in 2000. One of the leading candidates was Esko Aho, former prime minister and leader of Centre Party. His TV ad consisted of candidate jogging around Helsinki, with various pictures (candidate with wife and kids and so on) inbetween. There might have been some text, but I don’t remember. What was the gist of ad, I don’t know - I guess it was to try to get some votes in Helsinki (stereotype about Centre Party is that their voters socially conservative Christian farmers from Northern parts of Finland that think nothing good comes out of Helsinki except subsidies, EU is the Apocalyptic Beast except when it’s giving out subsidies, and all those immigrants are coming to take their subsidies away.) and market him as youthful, sporty family man. Anyway, Finnish satirical program Iltalypsy (lit “The Evening Milking”) took the ad and simply added some really heavy breathing, making it look like he was running around with his last bits of strength. I couldn’t look at that ad seriously again. Of course, lack of TV ads and official party bashing of the other candidates doesn’t take away the whispering campaigns concoted by hardcore supporters - the Centre-voting masses were convinced that opposing Social Democratic candidate (and eventual president) Tarja Halonen was atheist (she didn’t belong to church), communist (she was a “Taistoist” youth radical in the 70s) and a lesbian (she had been a president of gay and lesbian organization). ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/24 "2001-11-02T21:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Geobabe \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Zappo \* > > Who needs to cook up a nice juicy scandal before he runs for governor. Hey **Geobabe** , whatcha doin’ this weekend? 😉 > > Ooo, sorry, my brother’s in town. Doin’ family stuff, y’know. But thanks for thinking of me! \*\* That’s OK. I can’t run for another five years anyway. How about next weekend? 🙂 Zap! ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/25 "2001-11-02T22:36:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zappo \* > \*\* > That’s OK. I can’t run for another five years anyway. How about next weekend? 🙂 > > Zap! \*\* ChickDope. I’m on another trip weekend after that. What can I say? I’m popular. That long Thanksgiving weekend might be a possibility though. After I get done with the wretched excess, I’m pretty much free for the rest of the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![kpm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c57346/32.png) [@kpm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kpm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2001, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/26 "2001-11-02T23:39:46Z")
In 1990 Jesse Helms ran a famous ad called by people “the white hands ad” It shows a pair of hands crumpling up a letter. The voiceover says “You wanted that job, but it had to go to a minority because of racial quotas” Of course his opponent was black. Also that year he did a “ballot security” mailing to tell people they better not vote in the wrong place if they had moved. These mailings went only to black areas. Of course way back in the 50’s he worked for a campaign that doctored a photo to show the other candidate’s wife dancing with a black guy - which never happened. People have said Jesse doctored the photo himself. Now you know why he is the expert at playing the race card. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/27 "2001-11-03T00:35:15Z")
I could be misremembering the exact origin of the ad, but I seem to recall one of Mondale’s ads in 1984 was just footage of nuclear destruction while CSN’s “Teach Your Children” played. I guess it was just imitative of the ‘Daisy’ ad, which our high school government teacher showed us; the one with the song came off as just too much. Speaking of ads, the SNL parody of negative ads was really funny. They were a series of ads made “after the election”, with a voiceover saying things like “Claude Jones just doesn’t want to face up to reality … that he’s a loser. Why won’t he admit it? He says things like the election is ‘over’ and ‘we should give it up already’. That’s exactly the sort of things a big loser like Claude Jones would say.” ---
**Author:** ![Zappo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b3f665/32.png) [@Zappo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zappo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/28 "2001-11-03T01:50:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Geobabe \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Zappo \* > > \*\* > > That’s OK. I can’t run for another five years anyway. How about next weekend? 🙂 > > > > Zap! \*\* > > ChickDope. I’m on another trip weekend after that. What can I say? I’m popular. That long Thanksgiving weekend might be a possibility though. After I get done with the wretched excess, I’m pretty much free for the rest of the weekend. \*\* Woo hoo! Today [sub]day. . .day. . .day[/sub] I am the luckiest man [sub]man. . .man. . .[/sub] in the world [sub]world. . .world[/sub] 😃 Nothing like a turkey dinner to set the stage for a nice juicy scandal. Zap! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/29 "2001-11-03T02:46:48Z")
Mike Bloomberg has a good one about Mark Green, the Democrat candidate for mayor of New York City. It features numerous shots of firefighters and rescue workers and volunteers at the WTC site, then has, as a voiceover, Mark Green saying on a radio interview that if he had been mayor, he would have done as well as Giuliani. Then it fades to black and has a title that says, “Really?” Mark Green’s negative ads against Bloomberg have been pretty run-of-the-mill, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![snac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@snac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snac)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/30 "2001-11-03T04:21:02Z")
capacitor– Dukakis did a flip-flop ad against Gore in 1988 during the Democratic primary season. Could that be what you were thinking of? Actually, it’s probably been done a zillion times, come to think of it. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/31 "2001-11-03T04:35:28Z")
I’m gonna be in a scandal, I’m gonna be in a scandal… ---
**Author:** ![comradegonzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/47e85d/32.png) [@comradegonzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/comradegonzo)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/32 "2001-11-03T16:41:37Z")
considering all the mentions of bush (sr.)'s attack ads,im surprised pat buchanan gets so little credit. not only did he make some of the most outrageous negative ads ive ever seen, but he somehow got PBS to play them (if anyone knows how, please explain) the best one: overhead nightvision footage of people running, jumping over fences, and and running more (not exact quotes) “every day, more of them come into our country. stealing our jobs, increasing crime, corrupting our children. pat buchanan will stop this. together, we’ll Take Back America” ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2001, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/33 "2001-11-03T17:22:01Z")
I remember an ad not long ago, it was for Anne Northup (I think that’s the right name, Kentucky Rep…?), who was running against a black woman whose name I never saw, but it had footage of the fellow runner complaining that a meeting had gone on for too long and she had a party to attend! ---
**Author:** ![goonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@goonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goonhead)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/34 "2001-11-04T08:15:12Z")
Not sure if anyone mentioned this yet, regarding the Willie Horton ad. Conservatives have been quick to point out that it was Al Gore who first raised the issue of Willie Horton during a 1988 democratic presidential candidates’ debate, using the issue to attack Michael Dukakis’ record as governor of Massachusetts in effectively fighting crime. However, to my knowledge Gore didn’t run any ads using Willie Horton, so he’s not particularly remembered for bringing it up. There have been some funny negative ads here in Utah in recent years. In 1998 in the 2nd district U.S. House race, democratic challenger Lily Eskelsen ran ads showing then-incumbent Rep. Merrill Cook ® with a really sweaty and dazed look on his face, and another shot of him riding off in a limo. Cook won re-election, but was defeated in a primary two years later, it’s possible these ads might have had some long term effect in exposing some of Cook’s irritability and feistiness in a state that prefers politicians to be low-key. It’s usually democrats that run more negative ads here against an invidual. Republicans tend to run the ads touting their own strong points, or against “liberals in Washington”, or Pres. Clinton when he was in office. ---
**Author:** ![goonhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ebca7d/32.png) [@goonhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goonhead)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/35 "2001-11-04T08:22:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Andy \* > \*\*I remember an ad not long ago, it was for Anne Northup (I think that’s the right name, Kentucky Rep…?), who was running against a black woman whose name I never saw, but it had footage of the fellow runner complaining that a meeting had gone on for too long and she had a party to attend! \*\* Anne Northup is the right name, she represents the U.S. House district centered around the city of Louisville and some surrounding suburbs. I believe the name of the other person running was Eleanor Jordan, a KY state legislator. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/36 "2001-11-04T22:13:02Z")
In Syracuse, New York, the mayor’s race has been pretty nasty this year. Matt Driscoll (D) took over as mayor in July when Roy Bernardi ® left to take a job with HUD. (The Council president is next in line for mayor.) Anyway, his opponent on Tuesday, republican Bernie Mahoney, has run this ad where some 70 year old bat who used to live next door to Driscoll accused him of barking like a dog at her during a long-running dispute over a shared driveway. I am not making this up. Driscoll acknowledged there was a dispute but denies ever doing anything of this nature. Driscoll leads current polls by 28 points and most people are convinced this ad was a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2001, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/37 "2001-11-04T23:29:57Z")
When Mondale was running for president, didn’t one organization send out people to heckle him at various rallies? ---
**Author:** ![Mystery\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Mystery\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mystery_Dog)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2001, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978/38 "2001-11-05T18:21:51Z")
Another good SNL parody of negative ads came during the 1988 presidential race. Paraphrasing: "Abraham Lincoln was six feet four inches tall. John F. Kennedy was six feet two inches tall. George Bush is six feet two inches tall. But [dripping with sarcasm]Michael Dukakis[/dws] is only five feet eight inches tall. “Vote for Bush. He’s taller.” A similar SNL parody, maybe from the same episode, mentioned that Bush’s parents, and those of other Presidents mentioned in the parody, were born in the United States. But Dukakis’ parents… Changing the subject, is there anything more pathetic than negative ads criticizing the opposition for running negative ads? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-greatest-negative-politcal-tv-ad-youve-ever-seen/90978.md?page=1)