ShareThisBy DUSTY SAUNDERS
Thursday, November 02, 2006
My name is Dusty Saunders and I approve this message: I've watched numerous nasty political commercials through the years, but the current midterm election campaign has set a new, tacky standard when it comes to disgusting personal attack ads by candidates.
I'm not alone in this opinion.
My e-mail and voice mail are full of complaints from viewers angry about what they are seeing. They claim to be more interested in the candidates' stands on issues, rather than the nasty scenarios that dominate the screen.
While such junk will disappear late Monday night, prepare for a new deluge of attack ads in 2008. Like many, I'm wringing my hands.
At least Linda Ellerbee is doing something about this negative situation, attempting to educate future voters, some of whom may be involved in the political process years from now.
The former network correspondent, who for 15 years has produced the Emmy-winning Nick News on cable's Nickelodeon, is offering an election special: "Cheap Shots and Low Blows" (8:30 p.m., EST, Sunday).
During the half-hour (the program should be at least an hour), Ellerbee sits down with youngsters across the country to talk about why civil discourse, particularly in an election season, has fallen into a nasty, name-calling chasm. The kids will look at current and past campaign ads and discuss the tone and words used on talk shows and in political debates.
And they'll discuss the obvious: Is television fueling the fire? "Kids can't escape the messages we're sending," Ellerbee says of the show, which also features the unlikely trio of Chris Matthews, Al Franken and Ann Coulter.
One half-hour show aimed at youngsters 10-15 won't change the course of coarse political ads. But at least Ellerbee is not just wringing her hands in frustration.
