In the CNN article “Independent groups are new power in political ads,” by Mark Preston, the TNSMI-Campaign Media Analysis Group says that independent groups have spent $120 million dollars on ads this year compared to only $13.2 million four years ago. Most of the ads released have been negative ads against Obama and/or McCain.

Some examples of ads by independent groups include:
-The California Nurses Association with an ad with the song “Only one heartbeat away,”referring to the possibility of McCain’s death
-The Veterans for Freedom with an ad claiming that Obama cares more about his campaign then the troops

Six independent groups have released new negative ad campaigns in the past week. We may be seeing even more as the election gets closer. Since political advertising does not have the same restrictions as commercial advertising, many of the statements made in these ads may not be accurate.

These ads will probably be targeted more at the swing states. However, it is important to take these ads with a grain of salt. According to the sleeper effect theory, repeated exposure of ads increases the persuasiveness and believability of the content. If we see negative ads enough, then we may begin to forget whether something is fact or fiction. Like always, whether it is an advertisement of news, it is important to check the facts with a credible source and to get different viewpoints.

Although we all need to be careful not to believe everything we hear and see in these attack ads, it will be interesting to see what creative ads come out between now and the election.