How much do you think campaigning and advertising affects how you vote?

1. Presidential candidates nearly always do worse in states where they don't campaign than states where they do.





2. I've read that Obama's gains have been at least partially due to the effectiveness of his campaigning and advertising as compared to Clinton's.





3. There are so many newspaper articles about how important raising money is for a political campaign to be successful.





So how much do you think it affects your vote? And if you say it doesn't, why do you think campaigning and advertising have so much influence on elections?

How much do you think campaigning and advertising affects how you vote?
Typically it has no effect at all on my vote, since all of the candidates tend to try the same tricks so I hate them equally. Both campaigning and advertising serve one purpose alone. That purpose is to win your vote. It is not to give you an accurate picture of their plans and policies. it's to focus only on the information needed to win votes.





I just don't understand why it works. Do people not realize that politicians aren't completely honest in ads and while campaigning? I'd much rather just look up the candidate's past history and future plans and ideas on my own to decide.
Reply:Not at all. I've been on a ship for the last 3 months and haven't heard a word of it. Even when I do see advertising I ignore anything that is negative and only focus on what they themselves plan on doing for the country. Even then I don't believe it unles they have some concrete plan layed out. Bush Sr.s "No New Taxes" statement might have been believable to some, but I didn't buy it. The only time I ever saw a candidate was Perrot in '92.
Reply:I think it's important to the degree that it gets their name recognition out there. The ads themselves are all to often misleading, so further research is always necessary. But you can't vote for someone you never heard of...
Reply:I don't really care if the candidates come to my state. But I do want to be able to either read enough about their ideas, along with their character. I decide based upon that. And I have been able to do that through watching debates and speeches on TV, and then on some of those "match yourself to the candidate tests". But you have to be careful about those tests, because some of them are poorly devised.


I also just read from the candidates' websites, which is often the very best way to find info, if you can make your way through the propaganda. There are also sites that show candidates' past votes on issues.





So, they can spend all the money they want putting ads on TV or sending me mail, and it doesn't help one bit at all, unless I've never heard of them, which is only true in local politics.





But the reason advertising and campaigning is effective is because most voters are lazy and dumb, and would rather be entertained by candidates than reading about them.
Reply:It affects it 100 percent. How else would you even know who these people were.
Reply:Personally it all depends on how they do their advertising...





Lets say they made an ad that showed all the bad things this other candidate has done wrong but nothing to back up how this guy will do better than that?





But I will still say that I think it's like walking between a rock and a hard place for the most part... 1 small thing put on air that is disliked may loose this candidate votes
Reply:very much.......the more information people have the better





however much of it is false.........





if the opponent does'nt campaign then it appears they dont care about getting their votes
Reply:I don't think it has much effect unless it's negative. Nothing will make me reach for the remote faster than a mud slinging ad. If you can't tell me why you should be president I have no interest in hearing why the other person shouldnt be.
Reply:None. Most people already know who they will vote for .
Reply:Debates tell me a lot...I've watched everyone. I don't trust the media, because we all see who the darling is of the media and how hard they have worked to promote him. Nor am I impressed with the Ted Kennedy or John Kerry endorsements. Both are losers and pull down the Democratic party! Both have an ax to grind with Bill Clinton, their chance of getting the White House is gone and the see the upstart from Arkansas as the reason.





Nor am I influenced by any pamphlet that would be published by the opponent.





I research the candidates on the Internet and rely on debates. It is also useful to check into their voting records.





I think advertising and campaigning is to influence those who do not do their own research.