Political Campaigning (Thursday, April 6, 4th period)

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"You've been watching political ads and have spent a few months learning about your candidates. Today we talk about going negative." He gave them a smirk. "Or, as I prefer to think about it--the hard positive. You're not necessarily telling the voters that your opponent hates his mother and kicks puppies in his spare time--though if he does and you've got tape of it, for the love of God, use it--you're just telling them things about him that he'd rather you not mention."

He clasped his hands together. "Going negative can include everything from bad votes to extramarital affairs. And the voters say that they hate that kind of thing." He raised an eyebrow. "Polling data indicates otherwise. Eventually, yeah, your numbers will take a hit because you're being mean or whatever. But in the short term it does some serious damage to your opponent."

He walked around the room. "So the question becomes when do you go negative? Do you wait for them to start it, then strike back? Do you wait for them to start it and then have a press conference deploring their lack of propriety and whatever?"

He waved his hands at the class. "Or will you be one of those campaigns that never goes negative and then gets its ass kicked? Discuss."

Comments

Sign in (April 6)

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

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Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel signed in, looking very broody and tired.

He also looked like he had wee tiny bunnies clinging to the bottoms of his pant legs.

there was a reason for that (http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memadd.bml?journal=notstakedyet&itemid=58068).

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Josh blinked. And blinked again. Then grinned.

"Glad to see you've made some friends," he said, pointing.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"You know," Angel said, as he took a seat, "I just want to know who taught them to hug."

A few of the bunnies tried to climb higher so that they could hug his knees.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

"I had lemurs in my office doing the Hustle yesterday," Josh said. "I've stopped asking questions."

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory signed in, full of omgwoe...until she spotted Angel and the bunnies.

Then she cracked a real, bright smile for the first time in days.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[fh_jackass]

Logan signed in, still looking a little pale from his bout of flu yesterday.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel gave him a little wave. "How you feeling?"

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[fh_jackass]

Logan stared at Angel. "Thought I was better. Are there actually tiny bunnies stuck to you?"

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"I'm having a very long day," Angel said, by way of reply. "Want one?"

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

Parker signed in. And started laughing as soon as she saw Angel.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel promptly deposited a wee tiny bunny on her shoulder.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[mparkerceo.livejournal.com]

"Awwwwwwwww. Thank you!" Because if there's one thing that will make Parker aww, it's bunnies. "Hi, little guy!" She petted the ears and he hugged her finger.

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

Angel grinned. "You could call it E, since it's too wee to be Esme."

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[threeweapons.livejournal.com]

Alanna signed in and Faithful almost instantly jumped out of her bag. "Bunnies!"

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[psycho-barbie.livejournal.com]

Callisto signed in. "Heh, bunnies."

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[notcalledlizzie.livejournal.com]

Elizabeth signed in and giggled slightly at the bunnies.

Negative Campaigning

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

Where do you draw the line? Is there a line?

Re: Negative Campaigning

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Depends on the type of negative campaigning," Angel pointed out. He tried to take notes with a wee tiny bunny doing its best to give his pen a wee tiny bear hug. "You can start negative without anybody noticing you're doing it."

Re: Negative Campaigning

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"It's still wrong," Rory said stubbornly. "It's unethical, even if no one catches it."

Re: Negative Campaigning

[notstakedyet.livejournal.com]

"Separate issue," Angel said. Then, because he caught her smile before, he reached over with his pen and gently shook the wee tiny bunny into her lap.

Re: Negative Campaigning

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory stared down at the bunny that had begun to cling to her side, smiling a little. "It's not a separate issue. They're intrinsic. The ethics affect the motivation, and if there's no motive then there's no need to make an ad at all."

Re: Sign in (April 6)

[threeweapons.livejournal.com]

Alanna spent most of her class trying to keep Faithful in his bag and not hunting the weetinybunnies.

After class

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

...

OOC

[professor-lyman.livejournal.com]

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