When Pathos Backfires

CTProgressive has put this on YouTube, touting it as the "Worst Made Ad Ever." I have to agree (and it has little to do with my political affiliations). As someone who aims to be an informed voter, I don't like it when political ads try to scare me into voting for someone-- especially when the logic appears to be more that I'd be voting against that politician's opponent than for the politician.



Warning sign: when more than half the ad is taken up with what "the other guy" would do, one has to offer what the political advertiser has to offer. So we have shock tactics-- known terrorists possibly conspiring on telephones. Listen up, folks, your safety is at risk. Chris Murphy is going to let the bad guys get away because he's not going to let the good guys listen in.

Enter logic. What would be decided in one phone call? If someone is under suspicion for any type of illegal activities, it would be assumed that the investigators would bring their evidence before, oh, I don't know, a judge who would approve or deny a search warrant. Granted, this nitpicky evidence-gathering and probably cause stuff is a bit of a pain, but unfortunately, it's part of some document-thingy with all sorts of amendments. Oh yeah, the Constitution. The thing that the US stands for. The philosophy of freedom and democracy that America symbolizes and that which "known terrorists" are ostensibly aiming to destroy.

A person who has chosen to remain anonymous offered a new tagline for this ad...
Nancy Johnson: Wrong on the Constitution. Wrong for America.