Negativity peaks in US election homestretch

By Jane Han

NEW YORK ― With the U.S. election campaign entering its final week, here’s what we know about today’s America: Women are paid less for doing the same work as men, China is stealing American ideas and technology, the middle class is in danger and America as a whole is in trouble ― all in all, not exactly a pretty picture.

So where is all of this coming from? None other source than the two presidential candidates.

This election, as many political pundits and critics are pointing out, has turned into one of the most negative campaigns in American history.

And the negativity is only intensifying as the race hits homestretch.

``These negative ads are not just attacking each other, but more importantly bringing down our country and our spirit all together,’’ says Hugh Young, a political commentator from New York. ``Voters want to hear about a hopeful and better tomorrow, not about how our life is going to turn for the worse.’’

But from sarcastic campaign speeches, television and radio spots to online ads, the two-way mudslinging between President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have oftentimes ended up sending the wrong message to the public.

A recent Knights of Columbus-Marist survey found that eight in 10 Americans are ``frustrated’’ by the ongoing political battle, while three out of four Americans believe this election is more negative than previous years.

``It’s nauseating to constantly hear and see those gloomy ads with a creepy voice telling what the opponent did wrong over and over again,’’ says Linda Goodwin, 43, an Obama supporter who lives in Connecticut.

Gina Sohn, 29, a self-described independent from New Jersey, says, ``All this name-calling is getting really old. The only thing I want to know is what these men are going to do for the U.S. It’s about time they tone down the rhetoric against each other and get to the point.’’

With all this negativity flooding the airwaves, you may wonder how negative is negative and how much is too much?

According to Kantar Media, which tracks political advertising, of the 1,014,484 campaign ads that have aired between April 10 and October 22, 87 percent carried a negative tone while just 13 percent were positive.

An example of an Obama ad attacking Romney shows the Republican candidate singing ``America the Beautiful’’ over a montage of captions detailing his offshore tax havens and job outsourcing.

Meanwhile, dozens of Romney ads showcase how life in America has fallen behind with Obama as president.

To spar over these attack ads, Democrats and Republicans have spent nearly $1 billion each on television ads in this presidential race, based on media estimates.

But both teams apparently have no plan to slow down their cranking out of new releases.

True, voters complain about the over-the-top ads, but political experts say this kind of faceoff is inevitable in such a tight and unpredictable election.

The race for the White House is essentially deadlocked because a series of polls continuously show Obama and Romney running neck-and-neck with just days left till voting day.

Now, both candidates have no choice but to focus on swing states.

``At such a crucial time, you can’t just bet on positive ads,’’ says Ronald Stone, a Democrat and political strategist, ``and history tells us that negative ads work. They’re more convincing.’’

He explains that negative campaigns not only help define differences between candidates and their pledges, but are also more effective in stirring people’s enthusiasm and emotions.

``At the end of the day, you want people to feel something inside. That’s what’s going to get them to go out and vote on Election Day,’’ he added.