Election Ads – Are finally over

 

Election Ads – Are finally over

As I write this, we have just gotten through the 2022 election day media barrage.  I am relieved that the continuous stream of negative ads in every form of media has gone away very quickly.  In one period of frustration, I counted 21 consecutive TV ads, and 20 of them were negative political ads, the day before the election.  The cost of all that media spending was about $150 million, for just our Wisconsin senator’s race.  The Governor’s race was only a little less.  I suspect most voters had decided their vote long before most of that money was spent, but we all had to endure the full barrage of those negative (and mostly erroneous) claims from both sides.  I wish we could hold the writers of those commercials accountable for how they are creatively spinning their non-facts into something they hope to be convincing – NOT!  At least it was a large infusion of dollars into what I hope is a mostly local media industry.

As you read this, the election should be old news, unless there are some areas still recounting.  Hopefully we can get back to the more familiar advertising for things like cars, insurance, windows, pet food, medical supplies, etc.  I never would have thought I would be grateful for getting those back.  Be careful what you wish for, because we just saw an example of how it can get worse! The 2024 race could start any day now – heaven forbid.

 

The hunt

The Wisconsin deer hunt is how fast approaching.  I will be out in the woods along with 600,000 other members of our blaze orange army, chasing Bambi around.  I wonder how that number compares to the soldiers on either side of the current Ukrainian war.  It’s larger than the US has had in many of the other middle east conflicts – and Wisconsin is only one state.  Think of the logistics of moving that orange army into position.  All of those folks know exactly where they will be at 6:30 AM on November 19.  It may be their chosen location in the field or gathered as part of a well-organized search party looking for Bambi.  They will be fully equipped with all the food, drink, shelter, weatherproofing, and firepower they need for the task at hand, and it won’t cost a cent of your government’s funds to complete any of this massive logistical achievement.  In fact, the government will collect millions of dollars in fees in the process, enough to fund other conservation programs outside of this hunt.  I guess war against Bambi is cheaper for our government than war against Russia.

The outcome of this hunt will also be past history by the time you read this.  You will have to come to the January luncheon to hear “The rest of the story”

See you there.

                              Gene