Political advertising is a part of American politics that has been around as long as this nation has existed. Yet, in 2003, a Washington Post article titled "Unconventional Wisdom" by Richard Morin argues that emotional manipulation through television media is something new. It should be considered common knowledge that these advertisements have a specific objective to convince and influence the viewer's emotions by telling half-truths and using images with specific sound effects to generate the desired emotional responses. It is obvious that political ads are not intended to educate at all but are just another means of influencing voters through emotional impact. But this should not be considered something new. Throughout American history, political parties have exploited voters' emotions to achieve their goals. To understand how this is possible, it is important to consider how political advertising is to be used, how it affects the people who are exposed to it, and how powerful a tool it actually is. Next, it's helpful to understand the history behind the political advertising that has become such an important part of American culture. Finally, even with the political agendas behind political ads there are positive side effects in their attempts to motivate the viewer to vote a certain way, including disseminating information that would otherwise never be shared. As long as the negativity of such ads is not focused on and the messages contained therein are contextualized, then this American tradition of political smearing and cheerleading should be able to survive. In the article "Unconventional Wisdom", Richard Morin writes about the interesting results of the PhD... middle of paper... grain of salt", then this American tradition of political smearing and cheerleading is here to stay. Works Cited Gaski, John "The Washington Times." October 29, 2010. Positive Effects of Negative Political Advertising. September 15, 2011. Jamieson, Kathleen Hall. Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction, and Democracy. 1992. Lynda Lee Kaid, Juliana Fernandes, David Painter. “Effects of Political Advertising in the 2008 Presidential Campaign.” . Wilmer, John. “Do Negative Political Ads Really Work?” 28 October 2010. KWWL 15 2011 .