https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f54vzjmIAU
I've been seeing this ad pop up on Youtube a lot recently and probably wouldn't have paid attention to it at all if I hadn't realized that it was being shown to me due to targeted advertising. Frankly, it weirded me out, but it's a good thing that I was exposed to it because it is definitely an important issue and one that I need to consider before it comes time to vote. This is an ad about Jeff Merkley, but it's also about the issues that he apparently hasn't addressed despite promises to do so. I would consider this a potential attack ad.
I liked that they included actual statistics in the ad and beneath each of the ones they displayed on the screen, they put in a source so viewers could see that the data they were being shown was legitimate. The ad is very biased, which I've never been a fan of, but most ads are so I suppose I'll just have to make my peace with it. In my opinion, ads like this aren't really there for people to like or dislike. The purpose of these ads is to make a point. Whether or not that point is made depends upon the viewers themselves and the effectiveness of the information on offer. I personally think the information was of a good quality.
The ad used the words "hardworking" and "deserve" quite often. I believe the intention was to make viewers sit back and think, "You know, I do work hard for my money! What's this yahoo doing to deserve it?" In that respect, they really couldn't have done a better job. Oregonians work hard, we deserve a candidate that will fight for us, not Obama's failing policies. At least, that's the attitude they want their viewers to come away with.
I'm not really sure if I can say that it will influence the way I vote. It's definitely made me take a closer look at our candidates, though. In the 2012 election year I had turned 18 just in time to vote and I was thrilled about it. I had developed into a young democrat by that time and even if I didn't like Obama (at 16 I had truly been pulling for McCain even though the idea of Sarah Palin as VP terrified me), my general thinking was that he was the lesser of two evils. The thought of someone like Gingrich, Perry, Santorum, or Romney becoming president sent shivers up and down my spine. I thought Romney was an idiot and I disagreed with his stance on some key issues (birth control, equal rights, tax breaks for the wealthy, etc). I worried very much that our country would be taking big steps backward if a Republican were to come into power in our country. Despite Obama's many blunders (quite a few of which I am personally offended by) I stand by my decision to elect him and my principles as a democrat.
This political issue; however, is less black and white for me. Monica Wehby is Jeff Merkley's opponent and a Republican. Because I was going to be analyzing this ad, I took some time to research her values and opinions. I liked what I saw from her, but that complicates the problem for me. I like her stance on many issues that are prevalent in today's society. My problem with her is that she's still a Republican and I haven't much liked the presidential candidates that the GOP has been putting out in the last few elections (2008 excluded). Should a candidate that I dislike win their primaries, Wehby would be far more likely to vote for them than Merkley would, despite her personal values. The idea that Oregon could potentially go red at what I might consider to be a very bad time scares me quite a bit. Will I vote in favor of Wehby when the time comes? Perhaps. Will it be entirely due to this ad? Certainly not. But it did convince me to at least consider other options. In that respect, I would consider it effective.
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