U.S. ban political ads? | independencemedia

Should the U.S. ban political advertising?

CURRICULUM: How The World Works: Trade, Money, & Power

Summary: Most U.S. political campaigns spend most of their money on advertising, so we wondered whether a ban on advertising might change the game. Assuming a complete theoretical advertising ban (TV, radio, internet, signage, etc.), candidates and political advisors would devise alternative strategies. Would candidates require nearly as much money to do battle? Would the process of choosing leaders, and governing, change? What would we gain—or lose—along the way?

Basic Understanding:

How much money does it cost to run for (President, Congress, State Senate, etc.)?

What is the source of these funds / what do funders expect in exchange for their support?

How much time do incumbents spend raising money for the next campaign?
How much money is earned by the media in exchange for air time? Is news coverage affected by advertising spending?
How Americans choose their leaders (at every level). Role of advertising vs. other means.
How did elections work before TV, radio, and other modern media?

Issues:

Does campaign advertising affect people’s decisions about choice of candidate?

Does campaign advertising encourage people to vote?

How does campaign advertising fit into a larger strategic scheme?
Truth in advertising: what are the rules? Consequences for lies, misleading information, etc.?
History and impact of negative campaigning (at Presidential level, begins with Adams vs. Jefferson)
Is it possible to devise a reasonable spending cap on advertising, periodically updated?

Would politicians devise and update the spending cap?

Open Questions:

If we eliminated political advertising, how would the campaigning and election process work?

How would voters learn about the issues and the candidates?

In terms of measurable voter knowledge of issues and candidates, how well does the current system work? Is there good reason to change the system? Do we have a better idea?

Are town hall meetings and other in-person gatherings effective means of informing voters?
If we eliminated campaign advertising, would money find better ways to control politics?
How does political advertising work in other countries—what is allowed, what is not permitted

What can we learn from systems that work?

Does the U.S. system make sense for the U.S. because of who we are and how we behave?