About the most expensive race in the country.
OK - this is a rant and not really of the quality that many of the more thoughtful posts here might require. But I live in NC and I used to like Youtube to catch up on my favorite shows in germany.
But here in NC this is very practically impossible now. It started a few weeks ago. Every video I clicked started with a Tillis attack ad. The most common was "the VA is failing our veterans..." I was curious and so did a random sampling of videos to find that a little over 90% of videos started with this ad (sample size was 100) Same ad each time and paid for by a "concerned veterans group."
Overall, aside from the inaccuracies of blaming Hagan for this situation when it was Tillis' party that caused the problem, this isnt too annoying because you can turn down the volume for the 15 seconds it takes.
Since it was announced a few days ago that another $4M would be entering the state for Tillis by various groups - things have changed. A second sampling this time reveals that while 90% of the videos still start with this Ad as well as another by Rand Paul (claiming that Hagan's support of the ACA means she doesnt trust NC residents to pick their own doctors - he has obviously never heard of an insurance company requiring "in network care") another 50% now end with the VA ad (I didnt know they could do that) and fully 25% interrupt the video in the middle to show yet another ad. (I also didnt know they could do that). Boiling it all down nearly 20% of the videos that I watched had three ads in the 10 minute video!
In other words they have more money than they know what to do with! Moreover, I cant imagine that this will go down well with the YouTube demographic. Interrupted 3 times for attack political ads? When the average watcher is a 20 something looking for music videos - I cant see how this helps, but that being said Tillis has amazingly pulled even with Hagan in recent polls. Also, astonishingly, I have not seen even 1 ad FOR Hagan on Youtube.
The second bit of interesting stats comes from cable. In one night (not stat significant but anecdotal) every Hagan ad was followed by a Tillis ad Plus several Tillis ads that went unchallenged by Hagan. In every case there are obvious falsehoods. And while YouTube can be fooled by choosing a proxy server outside of this location - there is no such remedy for cable, you just cant get away from it if you watch anything.
Here is my point. We are seeing "1984" and "Brave New World" wrapped up into one. With this kind of media control, the truth is what you say it is to a large number of the watching public. This week alone we have been visited by two Rethug. canvasers and they have the words to these ads memorized. We have also received multiple mailings. The twisted lies being told are well orchestrated, well funded, and delivered over and over again. They have even become part of the local news with stories about new attacks from Tillis and watches of his poll numbers. It is almost creepy - at least if you have read the above mentioned prophetic works.
Hagan is not just being outspent. Any message she may have is being buried. And while she has had amazing local fund raising success, it can begin to match the overall power of this much money.
Talk about buying an election to install a dimwit! Tillis is about as dumb as they come and on his own he wouldnt even have a chance.
So that is the news from NC. If you can support Kay!