The Illinois economy continues to struggle, the state is saddled with debt and Illinois recently received a failing grade in terms of its small business friendliness. To make matters worse, governors across the country seem to have placed a bull’s-eye on our state, using every tool at their disposal to lure businesses out of Illinois. This election cycle, the small business community is looking for candidates and politicians to set forth a coherent, substantive plan to improve the economic environment in Illinois. Instead, the state’s electorate has been bombarded with negative advertising that is juvenile, irritating and pathetic.
ABC’s Charles Thomas reports that Governor Quinn and Bruce Rauner have spent between $15-20 million on predominately negative TV ads since last March. The non-partisan Center for Public Integrity reports that Illinois has seen a roughly 30 percent increase in the money spent to air TV ads compared to the elections four years ago. Illinois politicians, and their opponents, have spent more than $26.4 million to air an estimated 34,589 television ads between January 1, 2013 and September 8th of this year. As reported by the Northwest Herald, this staggering number does not include the costs of producing the ads, the money spent on local cable TV or for radio and Internet ads.
It is difficult to condone the excessive amount of money spent on advertising by policy makers and those seeking to take their place. More distressing however, is the intensely negative nature of the advertising and its impact on our state. Governors looking to poach Illinois businesses should send thank-you notes to the politicians and candidates making the state look fragmented, dysfunctional and in dire straits. Consultants and strategists are surely making healthy sums advising their clients to unscrupulously bash their opponents. The loser in these ongoing media wars is our state.
Leadership Needed
Many lament the Supreme Court decisions that have increased the ability of nameless corporations or other large donors to more easily fund negative advertising campaigns. While this may be true, passing a constitutional amendment prohibiting this conduct will be extremely difficult. The only immediate way to curb the negative advertising which disenfranchises the public and increases uncertainly in the business community is real leadership.
The state needs candidates that will take a stand against excessively negative advertising because it is bad for the state. We need candidates who acknowledge their opponents are good people (most are) with whom they have legitimate policy disagreements. Candidates must immediately stop implying that the state will collapse should their opponents prevail. Such hyperbole hurts small businesses, local communities and families throughout Illinois.
The time has come for Illinois politicians and candidates to reject excessive, over-the-top, negative advertising. Instead, we must look for leaders who understand that to effectively govern, they must empower their constituents and provide a vision for a better Illinois.