The Japanese Economic News published on December 22 that the "arms race" entitled by the American election machine was a democratic article that was distorted by money and slander. The author was Nishimura Boshi.The full text is as follows:
The cost of US elections has increased year by year.The total expenditure of the Presidential Election and Congress elections in 2020 exceeded US $ 16 billion, which was a bit over the next level than in 2016.
The main reason is that the cost of political advertising has increased.The advertising industry predicts that the investment of presidential candidates in 2024 will reach a new high in campaign advertising, which may reach US $ 10 billion, or even 16 billion US dollars.Among them, 70 % of them are "negative advertisements" used to attack political opponents, and the defamation war with the "banknote ability" will intensify.
The practice of attacking political opponents by advertising began at the beginning of the founding of the United States.In 1800, the second president, John Adams, was challenged by Vice President Thomas Jefferson in the election, accusing Jefferson of "monarch" and "atheist".At that time, shortly after the United States was independent, the people maintained their firm belief in God, and this argument naturally could not ignore people.
In 1828, Andrew Jackson won the election and became the first civilian president in the United States.In the election campaign, the leaflets with 6 black coffin patterns were widely circulated, suggesting that Jackson had participated in the murder.
With the changes of the times, the 1960s were leaving their names for their names because of Kennedy's television debate with Kennedy and Nixon.Kennedy's campaign team made full use of President Eisenhower's image (to attack Nixon). At the time, Eisenhower was asked what his Vice President Nixon had any performance. His answer was "I might think of me for a week."
In 1964, the campaign team of Linden Johnson showed the picture of the mushroom cloud rising after the explosion of the atomic bomb explosion in the advertisement, secretly criticizing the challenger Barry Goldwart, who used nuclear weapons.
Since then, the campaign advertisement has become more extreme, and the "stigma advertisement" that has remembered the "stigma advertisement" was the slander of the old Bush camp to its opponent Massachusetts Governor Dukasky.The old Bush team stated that Dukasky was responsible for the violent crime performed by a African prisoner in Massachusetts at that time, and launched an attack on Dukasky by inciting racial hatred.
The funds for advertising are mainly from the Political Action Commission (PAC).This committee is established by enterprises or groups to receive personal donations.In 2010, the US Supreme Court made a ruling to recognize that the political contribution was not capped.As a result, "Super PACs", which have greatly increased, have emerged, and election funds and negative advertisements have increased rapidly.
What is the effect of these advertisements?Researchers at the University of Latugs in the United States found that more than 100 papers found that negative advertisements had limited impact on the reputation of the objects they slandered and the voting behavior of voters, which may damage the image of the attack on the attack.
But the negative advertisement still increases, the reason may be that both sides feel that "if the attack launched by the opponent will fail," both parties will fail. "Mallois, an associate professor at the University of Rhod Island, believes that this approach is similar to the "arms competition", and the candidate team will throw a lot of money in those swinging states with the results of the minimum elections.
Negative advertising is endlessly harmful to society.First of all, the persistent attack on political opponents not only damage the personality and status of the other party, but also to damage the people's trust in the government and politics.Secondly, in the political environment of "money", the right to speak in enterprises and groups has not properly increased, but it is difficult to reflect the voices of the general public.Third, deepen the tear of society.Groups representing specific values and interests will choose to support those more loyal candidates, which is beneficial to candidates who propose extreme policies, which is not good for candidates who are stable in their acting style and pursue the middle route.
This problem is not easy to solve.In the United States, which attaches importance to freedom of speech, it is difficult to win support to restrict political advertisements.
The diversification of the media has also made effective countermeasures more difficult.Political advertising on social media has surged, but the work that prevent people from falling into information cocoons and cracking down on false information are still in place.The popularity of online TV makes it easier for advertisers to accurately launch advertisements for user attributes and viewing records.Under the blessing of artificial intelligence, the accuracy of the launch will also increase.
The "Super Election Machine" jointly created by the non -caps and the high -tech of the voters of the voters may make democracy completely taste, and it is time to seriously think about countermeasures.(Compiled/Liu Lin)
