Aa
We've all Said "Enough"
http://apnews.myway.com//article/20121020/DA21ET3O0.html
Oct 20, 2:33 PM (ET)
By NANCY BENAC and PHILIP ELLIOTT
Enough already: voters hit with ads, calls, more
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - People who live in battleground states tend to have a number and a coping strategy.
Virginian Catherine Caughey's number is four: Her family recently got four political phone calls in the space of five minutes.
Ohioan Charles Montague's coping mechanism is his TV remote. He pushes the mute button whenever a campaign ad comes on.
All the attention that the presidential campaigns are funneling into a small number of hard-fought states comes at a personal price for many voters.
The phone rings during a favorite TV show. Traffic snarls when a candidate comes to town. A campaign volunteer turns up on the doorstep during dinner. Bills get buried in a stack of campaign fliers. TV ads spew out mostly negative vibes.
The effects are cumulative.
"It's just too much," says Carmen Medina, of Chester, Va. "It's becoming a little too overwhelming."
Medina, it should be noted, is an enthusiastic supporter of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. She squealed with joy outside the United Latino Market in Richmond when she learned that Romney had just appeared at a rally across the street.
But she's starting to block phone numbers to Make. The. Calls. Stop.
Even Ann Romney, the candidate's wife, has had enough. "I don't want to get myself upset so I am not watching television for the moment," she told the women on ABC's "The View" on Thursday.
"Trust me, the audience members that are in swing states are sick of them," she said of political ads.
Ditto the president.
"If you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am I," Barack Obama said during the Democratic National Convention.
The parties speak with pride of their massive ground operations - the door knockers, the phone banks, the campaign signs and more. They trumpet the higher level of activity this year than in 2008.
With the campaign now focused on just nine states - Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin - the parties are able to target their resources narrowly.
Republicans say they've made three times more phone calls and 23 times more door knocks in Ohio than they had by this time in 2008, for example, and nearly six times more phones calls and 11 times more door knocks in Virginia. Democrats don't give out that level of detail, but describe ambitious outreach activities from their 60-plus field offices in Virginia and 125 in Ohio.
The campaigns and independent groups supporting them are expected to pour about $1.1 billion into TV ads this year, the vast majority of it in the most competitive states.
But does all of this activity reach a point of diminishing returns? Is there a risk of overkill?
Not to David Betras, chairman of the Democratic Party in Ohio's Mahoning County. He considers himself a field general in the battle to re-elect Obama, and enthusiastically details the party's efforts on his turf.
"Is there a saturation point? I haven't heard that," he says. "I think just the opposite. I think people, at least in my neck of the woods, are kind of excited that they're playing such an important role."
But he does say, "Some people you call and of course they're burned out with it, and you thank them very much and you move on."
Clearly, more exposure doesn't always translate into more support.
"The more I see Romney, the less I like," says Kay Martin, who lives in the Denver suburb of Arvada.
And if not generating a backlash, some of that political activity is surely just wasted energy.
Gwynnen Chervenic, in Alexandria, has taught her kids to yell "lies" any time a political ad comes on.
"I'm trying to make sure they develop a healthy skepticism about the election PR process," she explains. "Makes me laugh every time and should help ease the pain until Election Day."
A Fairfax County woman who's a strong Romney supporter emails: "I don't mind telling the Romney campaign or the RNC (Republican National Committee) that I am voting for Romney, but why do I have to tell them that MULTIPLE times?"
She's ready to start giving out a phony phone number. But she doesn't want to be identified by name - because her husband's working for the Romney campaign. And, yes, she even went with him recently to knock on doors.
"But I was so uncomfortable knocking on people's doors in the evening because I felt like I was doing the very thing that bothers me," she admits.
Political psychologist Stanley Renshon, a professor at City University of New York, said most Americans don't spend a lot of time thinking about politics, and don't particularly like being the focus of too much political attention.
But the campaigns just won't - or can't - stop reaching out.
"They can't not try to win your vote, even at the risk of alienating your vote," says Renshon. "You don't want to regret not doing everything you can do."
John Geer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University, says it's the political equivalent of an arms race, and neither side dares stop the carpet bombing.
"We don't know exactly where saturation occurs, but I think we're way past that," he says.
For those from less competitive states, the number and tone of ads can be jarring.
"I think people are just upset about the lies," says Pamela Ash, a 66-year-old Obama volunteer from Arizona who's been visiting her brother in Ohio to help the campaign. "Enough already. I just can't stand it."
Even the people making the calls understand the annoyance.
Maria Buzzi estimates that 10 percent to 15 percent of the calls she makes during her volunteer shift at Romney's Stow, Ohio, offices end with frustrations.
"I've been called a G-D, F-ing B," the 67-year-old retired nurse and grandmother said. "I'm a sensitive person and they are just vicious. It hurts my feelings and I take it personally. But I really want to help Mitt Romney."
After those tough calls, she hangs up and takes a moment to compose herself. Then she picks up the phone and dials another voter.
Maybe one of her calls will end up in tiny Payson, Utah, about as far from the political front as you can get this year.
That's where Katie Peterson lives. She moved there from Ohio four years ago.
Says Peterson: "Somehow all those people making the phone calls think I still live there and that they need to call all the time."
---
Elliott reported from Ohio.
Oct 20, 2:33 PM (ET)
By NANCY BENAC and PHILIP ELLIOTT
Enough already: voters hit with ads, calls, more
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - People who live in battleground states tend to have a number and a coping strategy.
Virginian Catherine Caughey's number is four: Her family recently got four political phone calls in the space of five minutes.
Ohioan Charles Montague's coping mechanism is his TV remote. He pushes the mute button whenever a campaign ad comes on.
All the attention that the presidential campaigns are funneling into a small number of hard-fought states comes at a personal price for many voters.
The phone rings during a favorite TV show. Traffic snarls when a candidate comes to town. A campaign volunteer turns up on the doorstep during dinner. Bills get buried in a stack of campaign fliers. TV ads spew out mostly negative vibes.
The effects are cumulative.
"It's just too much," says Carmen Medina, of Chester, Va. "It's becoming a little too overwhelming."
Medina, it should be noted, is an enthusiastic supporter of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney. She squealed with joy outside the United Latino Market in Richmond when she learned that Romney had just appeared at a rally across the street.
But she's starting to block phone numbers to Make. The. Calls. Stop.
Even Ann Romney, the candidate's wife, has had enough. "I don't want to get myself upset so I am not watching television for the moment," she told the women on ABC's "The View" on Thursday.
"Trust me, the audience members that are in swing states are sick of them," she said of political ads.
Ditto the president.
"If you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me, so am I," Barack Obama said during the Democratic National Convention.
The parties speak with pride of their massive ground operations - the door knockers, the phone banks, the campaign signs and more. They trumpet the higher level of activity this year than in 2008.
With the campaign now focused on just nine states - Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin - the parties are able to target their resources narrowly.
Republicans say they've made three times more phone calls and 23 times more door knocks in Ohio than they had by this time in 2008, for example, and nearly six times more phones calls and 11 times more door knocks in Virginia. Democrats don't give out that level of detail, but describe ambitious outreach activities from their 60-plus field offices in Virginia and 125 in Ohio.
The campaigns and independent groups supporting them are expected to pour about $1.1 billion into TV ads this year, the vast majority of it in the most competitive states.
But does all of this activity reach a point of diminishing returns? Is there a risk of overkill?
Not to David Betras, chairman of the Democratic Party in Ohio's Mahoning County. He considers himself a field general in the battle to re-elect Obama, and enthusiastically details the party's efforts on his turf.
"Is there a saturation point? I haven't heard that," he says. "I think just the opposite. I think people, at least in my neck of the woods, are kind of excited that they're playing such an important role."
But he does say, "Some people you call and of course they're burned out with it, and you thank them very much and you move on."
Clearly, more exposure doesn't always translate into more support.
"The more I see Romney, the less I like," says Kay Martin, who lives in the Denver suburb of Arvada.
And if not generating a backlash, some of that political activity is surely just wasted energy.
Gwynnen Chervenic, in Alexandria, has taught her kids to yell "lies" any time a political ad comes on.
"I'm trying to make sure they develop a healthy skepticism about the election PR process," she explains. "Makes me laugh every time and should help ease the pain until Election Day."
A Fairfax County woman who's a strong Romney supporter emails: "I don't mind telling the Romney campaign or the RNC (Republican National Committee) that I am voting for Romney, but why do I have to tell them that MULTIPLE times?"
She's ready to start giving out a phony phone number. But she doesn't want to be identified by name - because her husband's working for the Romney campaign. And, yes, she even went with him recently to knock on doors.
"But I was so uncomfortable knocking on people's doors in the evening because I felt like I was doing the very thing that bothers me," she admits.
Political psychologist Stanley Renshon, a professor at City University of New York, said most Americans don't spend a lot of time thinking about politics, and don't particularly like being the focus of too much political attention.
But the campaigns just won't - or can't - stop reaching out.
"They can't not try to win your vote, even at the risk of alienating your vote," says Renshon. "You don't want to regret not doing everything you can do."
John Geer, a political science professor at Vanderbilt University, says it's the political equivalent of an arms race, and neither side dares stop the carpet bombing.
"We don't know exactly where saturation occurs, but I think we're way past that," he says.
For those from less competitive states, the number and tone of ads can be jarring.
"I think people are just upset about the lies," says Pamela Ash, a 66-year-old Obama volunteer from Arizona who's been visiting her brother in Ohio to help the campaign. "Enough already. I just can't stand it."
Even the people making the calls understand the annoyance.
Maria Buzzi estimates that 10 percent to 15 percent of the calls she makes during her volunteer shift at Romney's Stow, Ohio, offices end with frustrations.
"I've been called a G-D, F-ing B," the 67-year-old retired nurse and grandmother said. "I'm a sensitive person and they are just vicious. It hurts my feelings and I take it personally. But I really want to help Mitt Romney."
After those tough calls, she hangs up and takes a moment to compose herself. Then she picks up the phone and dials another voter.
Maybe one of her calls will end up in tiny Payson, Utah, about as far from the political front as you can get this year.
That's where Katie Peterson lives. She moved there from Ohio four years ago.
Says Peterson: "Somehow all those people making the phone calls think I still live there and that they need to call all the time."
---
Elliott reported from Ohio.
Well, Citizens united needs to go, limits on spending for elections needs to be set imo. Its just reached obscene levels.
I'll look for that book.
You've got a bit of a dramatic outlook, but I am trying to find a way to not make it look so damned dramatic. I think power and greed has a lot to do with it. The constant "power struggles" will all eventually come to a head and it will be at the cost of every day Americans.
I think this country and our politicians are trying to look at the bigger picture, but while doing in seem to profoundly forget what the picture is really made up from. Us, the people, all individuals and they try to lump us all into one mold or the other. I personally believe the individualism is a rare commodity in this country.
Now more than ever, I see this countries politicians doing all they can to level the playing field so we can be as one on a socio-economical level. We are trying to dumb down the financial elite and playing up the financial deficient. I think that labor unions have a lot to do with this....
With that being said, I don't think we are on the right track and I don't think our elected officials have a clue as to what to do.
You've got a bit of a dramatic outlook, but I am trying to find a way to not make it look so damned dramatic. I think power and greed has a lot to do with it. The constant "power struggles" will all eventually come to a head and it will be at the cost of every day Americans.
I think this country and our politicians are trying to look at the bigger picture, but while doing in seem to profoundly forget what the picture is really made up from. Us, the people, all individuals and they try to lump us all into one mold or the other. I personally believe the individualism is a rare commodity in this country.
Now more than ever, I see this countries politicians doing all they can to level the playing field so we can be as one on a socio-economical level. We are trying to dumb down the financial elite and playing up the financial deficient. I think that labor unions have a lot to do with this....
With that being said, I don't think we are on the right track and I don't think our elected officials have a clue as to what to do.
Ok, I know, a bit dramatic..but is there not some element of truth here?
Our politicians are also limited in terms of campaign spending. I like that as well as hopefully it doesn't meant that he or she with the deepest pockets wins. Contributions are limited so no one can buy a Prime Minister. I like that too.
Look, I love your country, so please do not take this as disrespect as I don't intend it that way at all. But it does seem to no longer be about who has the countries best interests at heart, and who makes the most sense. It seems more about corporate and special interest groups, money, and power. In my opinion, that will eventually be your downfall if not stopped. You really should read "Collapse". It can be a bit dry in parts, but it analyzes the downfall of every major super power since the Mayans. It talks about the Roman Empire and so on and so forth. In every single case, bar none, the problem started with greed, power hunger and corruption. I see that happening to the US. And from a purely selfish perspective, the free world cannot afford the US to lose it's superpower status. But there is nothing any of us can do....it seems to be happening from within your own borders. These politicians just don't seem to care about anything but being right and being in charge. That just has to stop, and they need to refocus on the people they serve. It just does.
Look, I love your country, so please do not take this as disrespect as I don't intend it that way at all. But it does seem to no longer be about who has the countries best interests at heart, and who makes the most sense. It seems more about corporate and special interest groups, money, and power. In my opinion, that will eventually be your downfall if not stopped. You really should read "Collapse". It can be a bit dry in parts, but it analyzes the downfall of every major super power since the Mayans. It talks about the Roman Empire and so on and so forth. In every single case, bar none, the problem started with greed, power hunger and corruption. I see that happening to the US. And from a purely selfish perspective, the free world cannot afford the US to lose it's superpower status. But there is nothing any of us can do....it seems to be happening from within your own borders. These politicians just don't seem to care about anything but being right and being in charge. That just has to stop, and they need to refocus on the people they serve. It just does.
I've got no problems with limiting pretty much everything with campaigns. I don't like the debate formats and I don't like that these guys basically say whatever they want.... factual information is all that is necessary, and if what you say is found to have no factual basis, your debate is over.
Money from everywhere needs to be limited. Personal donations, PAC donations, corporate donations, special interest donations....
Campaign trail should be limited to 3 months max. It is more than enough time to talk politics and should but down the B.S.
Personal attacks or mud slinging... if it pertains to failed policies, it can be allowed but needs to be backed with facts. If you launch an attack, it is tantamount that the facts stand up. If they don't, your opportunity to continue to debate in the current or subsequent debates is taken away.
Conduct... straighten up, fly right, or go to a bar and talk politics.
If it isn't a top 4-5 national issue, it is not a topic for discussion at debates. The top 5 topics will be chosen by popularity amongst registered voters.
The list keeps going.... I don't see it changing. Actually, I see the next Presidential election cycle probably being even more nasty. We should see a few new faces and the next 4 years is a lot of time for each potential candidate to create a lot of dirt or solid policies.
Money from everywhere needs to be limited. Personal donations, PAC donations, corporate donations, special interest donations....
Campaign trail should be limited to 3 months max. It is more than enough time to talk politics and should but down the B.S.
Personal attacks or mud slinging... if it pertains to failed policies, it can be allowed but needs to be backed with facts. If you launch an attack, it is tantamount that the facts stand up. If they don't, your opportunity to continue to debate in the current or subsequent debates is taken away.
Conduct... straighten up, fly right, or go to a bar and talk politics.
If it isn't a top 4-5 national issue, it is not a topic for discussion at debates. The top 5 topics will be chosen by popularity amongst registered voters.
The list keeps going.... I don't see it changing. Actually, I see the next Presidential election cycle probably being even more nasty. We should see a few new faces and the next 4 years is a lot of time for each potential candidate to create a lot of dirt or solid policies.
I'm all for limits on elections.
Limits on how long they last, how much money they can spend and especially a limit to stop them from invading our privacy.
Limits on how long they last, how much money they can spend and especially a limit to stop them from invading our privacy.
Even living where I do I'm getting a bit fed up. And all I see are the ads and the news of course. No one is calling me or knocking on my door.
Maybe it really is time to have the powers that be address this and shorten this campaign cycle. You have to wonder too...with it being as long as it is, the incumbent really has no choice but to focus on the election which must take a whole lot of time. That cannot be good for the country. And it is so nasty! Watching the ads now I feel like they have both run out of legitimate things to go after each other about and are just picking at stupid little things. Still laughing at Mitt's tan and it meaning he is trying to look hispanic..I mean really? Seriously?
Our election cycles are very short. 3 months from the time an election is called to going to the polls (no, it's not an automatic time here like it is there..election cycles vary). So really, all our candidates have time to do is a couple of debates and lay out there platform. It really is much nicer and causes far less fighting and far less stupid accusations and nitpicky stuff. Something to consider maybe?
Maybe it really is time to have the powers that be address this and shorten this campaign cycle. You have to wonder too...with it being as long as it is, the incumbent really has no choice but to focus on the election which must take a whole lot of time. That cannot be good for the country. And it is so nasty! Watching the ads now I feel like they have both run out of legitimate things to go after each other about and are just picking at stupid little things. Still laughing at Mitt's tan and it meaning he is trying to look hispanic..I mean really? Seriously?
Our election cycles are very short. 3 months from the time an election is called to going to the polls (no, it's not an automatic time here like it is there..election cycles vary). So really, all our candidates have time to do is a couple of debates and lay out there platform. It really is much nicer and causes far less fighting and far less stupid accusations and nitpicky stuff. Something to consider maybe?
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