Let’s Vote Against Negative Campaigning

Imagine that you want to hire someone to handle an important and complex job for you. Further imagine that after advertising the position, you locate two people who might fill the position. Each appears to have the skills, experience, and motivation to do a first rate job.

Now suppose you call the first prospect into your office. You ask the person to explain why he or she should be hired.

How would you feel if—instead of making a case for being hired—the person uses a good chunk of the interview time to bash the other candidate? I’m guessing you would be disgusted for several reasons. First, you’d not know much about the person’s qualifications. Second, you’d see that the candidate failed to focus on the job at hand: building a case for getting hired. Third, you’d be insulted because the candidate would in effect tell you that you don’t have the smarts to evaluate the other person.

Think of this the next time you see a negative commercial running on behalf of a presidential candidate. Realize that you are not getting useful information, and that the candidate seems to have nothing to save about his own talents, and finally that the candidate has contempt for your critical skills.

Alas, both candidates will be using negative advertising. But I’m going to pay attention to the one who relies most on this useless and dangerous procedure. Then I’ll vote for the other guy.

So listen up Barack and John: If you want my vote, tell me what you’re going to do for me.