Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (129188)	1/29/2010 12:56:21 PM
From: TimF	Respond to of 542009

but my fear is that attacking specific candidates or advancing their fortunes will be far more attractive than simple issue ads. I'm not sure it is more effective. Candidates have bundles of positions, support one because of position A, and you might be getting positions B and C which you don't like and D,E and F, which you don't care about either way, and wouldn't care to spend money on. But even adds for candidates are more effective at promoting issues, than issue adds; the potential blow-back to the corporation, or even the cause its promoting, is also higher from endorsing specific candidates or parties rather than issue adds. Support policy A, and you get the "policy anti-A" people against you, but support Democrats or Republicans and you can get close to half the country against you. And even if you support a mix of politicians from both parties (which to the extent that corporations do start endorsing politicians is likely since they don't want to get either party against them, that party will be in power eventually), you still present a much more intrusive posture, and get more people mad at you. That effect might be particularly strong for some company that sells to end consumers, since they would be vulnerable to a shift in consumer preference, but it would also affect companies like the hypothetical coal company which could face a blowback that would cause more pressure for either carbon taxes, or other regulations or taxes against it.