By Grant Rohan
As Nebraska voters began to cast their votes for the 2nd Congressional race, the airwaves were rife with the last round of political ads from both candidates.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., seeks re-election, with his advertisements promoting his message that he acted on his promises to Nebraskans. From tax cuts to supporting the state’s agriculture industry, the congressman has advertised that he will take action on his list of issues since arriving in Washington in 2016.
Kara Eastman, Bacon’s Democratic opponent, has centered her campaign on healthcare reform with a “Medicare-for-all” approach. Some of her early ads have focused on providing healthcare as a right with the promise that every family has access to healthcare.
Hugh Reilly, director of the School of Communication at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, weighed in on Eastman’s ad about healthcare. He said Eastman’s first political advertisement where she held one of her mother’s cancer drug pills that cost $2,500 was particularly effective.
Reilly said many viewers can identify with this ad if they are currently taking overpriced medications.
“That’s one of the most effective ads because it’s real,” Reilly said. “It’s authentic.”
Eastman emphasized the fact that many cannot afford the cost of expensive medications they cannot live without.
Republicans have criticized Eastman’s approach for what she describes as reforming a broken healthcare system. Her critics see this as a government takeover of the current healthcare system.
As the election drew closer, so did more negative attack ads.
“I think that there are ways that you can do an attack ad on somebody and have it be factual,” Reilly said. “Unfortunately, you can really stretch the truth.”
One recent attack ad focuses its aim on Eastman’s campaign for her “Medicare for all” and “College for all” plans, saying it is part of a socialist agenda. Bacon has also denied accusations of cutting cancer screenings and putting lives at risk after a Nebraska Democratic Party flier accused the congressman.
Dr. Adam Tyma, a UNO School of Communication professor, said the First Amendment protects the content of ads where the truth and legitimacy are in question.
“They’re not bound to the same rules that other advertisements are bound to,” Tyma said. “Political advertising is not bound to a need to be factual. You can be as truthful as you can be, or lie bold-facedly.”
He emphasized that viewers must be careful when they see any political ad, as they are often tailored to evoke an emotional response. Tyma said both candidates have successful appeals. Bacon used his last name in a corny, folksy fashion and Eastman effectively used “we” and “us” in her message.
Tyma also said first-time voters need to look beyond the ads and do their own fact-checking apart from what they see on TV or social media.
“Take half an hour and do some digging up on your ballot,” Tyma said. “The ad campaign stuff is just there to sell a product.”
