It’s finally over – voters have spoken, new officials are elected, and the country breathes a sigh of relief. Relief, not so much that there will be new people in power, but relief that we no longer have to put up with negative campaign ads. What has happened in our country that candidates feel that the only way to get elected is to smear the other guy? Negative ads used to be a sign of desperation, an indicator that the candidate was pulling out all the stops and resorting to mud slinging in a last-ditch effort to change voter’s minds. But somehow, negative ads are now the norm. I did not see one ad, not one, that simply stated what the candidate stood for, what he or she accomplished, and why he or she should be elected, without mentioning the other candidate. Every ad I saw blasted the opposition. Some of them started innocently enough, but very quickly turned to show why the opposition is lying, or is an idiot, or is not to be trusted. So, instead of having a good grounding on what the candidates stand for, I merely had a good idea of how awful all the candidates are. I ended up once again voting against the worse offenders, rather than voting for someone.

I wonder if any of the candidates stopped to think that every time they mention their opposition, they are putting that person’s name in the voter’s mind. If they end their ads with blasting the opposition, the voter is left only with the name of the opposition. The negative stuff is tuned out. Hello! Is anybody thinking out there? These ads merely show that the candidates have very low values and negative viewpoints. And these are the people that represent me?

I long for the day when a candidate appears who really has the good of the country at heart, who creates ads that showcase his/her abilities and values, and who leaves the other candidate out of the ads altogether. Maybe then I can vote for someone I really believe in….