Do You Get the MESSAGE?

It's easy to be misled by campaign ads and speeches. Here's how to find out what the candidates are really saving.

One commercial looks like the television quiz show Jeopardy. The game-show host says, "Welcome to 'Hypocrisy.' Contestants, are you ready?" Each player chooses a question from the category "political hypocrites." The answer to each question is "Who is Al Gore?"

Another ad begins with a flurry of red, white, and blue balloons floating in a convention hall. Then a map of Texas appears with a bandage wrapped around the state. A narrator says, "Back in Texas, George W. Bush opposed health coverage for 200,000 more children."

What are these ads trying to sell you? Certainly not quiz shows or bandages. They're selling a candidate for President.

In an ideal world, candidates for political office would win votes by making a clear stand on the issues. But too often, candidates use other methods to win supporters. They may make promises they can't keep. They may hide their true beliefs. They may even spread rumors or twist facts to make their opponents look bad.

The TV Twist

Television ads are one way of persuading, inspiring, or even scaring people into voting for a candidate. But be careful! They can be misleading.

Critics say campaign ads like the ones at right make it difficult to tell fact from fiction. It's impossible, they say, for a candidate to explain what he or she stands for in a brief ad or sound bite.

That's why it's important for voters to learn about a candidate from many different sources, such as magazines, newspapers, books, radio, TV interviews, and the Internet. With more information, voters can better understand the candidates and what they stand for.

Be Aware!

Here are some persuasion techniques commonly used in campaign speeches and ads. Look out for them in the 2000 race. Try to figure out what the candidates are really saying.

Loaded Statements are found in almost every speech and can be hard to catch. They imply something about an opponent without saying it directly.

When Bush says, "I've got a different vision of leadership. A leader is somebody who finds common ground," he is implying that Gore does not work well with others.

When Gore says, "Together, let's make sure that our prosperity enriches not just the few, but all working families," he is suggesting that Bush cares only about the rich.

Name Calling is when a candidate attaches negative names or words to an opponent. These words have little to do with how the opponent will perform in office. Attacks on family, race, or looks are examples. Republicans say Gore is stiff and boring. Democrats imply Bush is unintelligent.

Catchwords are meant to excite voters. They may sound good, but they reveal little about a candidate's stand on the issues. What does the phrase "reinventing government" tell you about the Democrats' plans? What does the phrase "compassionate conservatism" tell you about the plans of the Republicans? Almost nothing.

Plain Folks is when candidates pretend they are no different from the average Americans whose votes they seek. Gore has held "town hail" meetings in several small towns and cities. Bush has made campaign stops at fairs and towns across the country.

Passing the Blame is when candidates deny responsibility for problems. Bush blames the Clinton/Gore administration for the recent rise in gas and oil prices. Gore blames Republicans--Bush's party--for not supporting alternative fuel sources.

Promising the Sky is when a candidate makes impossible promises, hoping to win votes. Bush says that if he is elected he "will extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten comer of this country." Gore says that if he's elected, he "will deepen prosperity, and extend it to the homes and hearts of every family."

On to the Campaign

Keep these tips in mind when you watch the TV ads and listen to the debates: Listen carefully, and you won't get taken for a ride.