You may have noticed that political ads or speech in general, particularly those supporting America’s most impolite hater, Donald Trump, are often outrageously false.
Take the immigration issue, for instance. Have you seen the ad featuring the registered nurse who argues that ‘illegal’ immigrants are taking up so much room in America’s hospitals that there is no room for Americans?
The ad’s spokesperson is “Julie Ann Willoughby, RN.” The ad doesn’t say that Willoughby is a Republican State Representative in Arizona. While it is true that at least one hospital in Yuma, AZ, has had some problems dealing with the volume of immigrants, this is not a national issue.
The citizens of her district did not elect Willoughby. After losing two elections, the Republican-controlled Board of Supervisors appointed her to her current post, even though another candidate had the most votes. Think she’s grateful?
Check out this ad titled “Damage.” Willoughby appears wearing hospital scrubs in a setting that looks like a hospital. She begins by hugging a patient. You guessed it. It is a white patient! Subtle, no? She’s an overworked and devoted healthcare provider. She then turns to the camera and accuses Vice President Harris of failing Americans by keeping our borders “open.” She looks straight into the camera and charges:
“I’ve seen firsthand the damage that Kamala Harris caused as our country’s borders czar. Hospitals everywhere are overwhelmed, and American patients are paying the price. My patients are covering the healthcare costs for people here illegally while their own care is jeopardized. Kamala Harris is weak and dangerous.”
One would think that undocumented immigrants are overwhelming America’s hospitals, right? It’s all Kamala Harris’ fault, don’t you know? Let’s examine the issue more closely.
Should Political Ads, or Speech, be Truthful?
American employers hire the undocumented to work in unsafe conditions. Consequently, they get sick or hurt at higher rates than citizens. Does Trump or his hypocritical wealthy Republican contributors care why these workers are coming to the hospital? Or do they want to push their America-first divisive garbage and blame immigrants for preventing them from accessing healthcare?
The current border issue is not a Kamala Harris-created problem nor a national phenomenon. While it is true that the border crisis has hit at least one Arizona hospital hard in the pocketbook, it is also undeniable that we are a nation of immigrants, and people will die without care.
This ad and others are all about blaming or demonizing immigrants for America’s problems. Immigration (legal and illegal) is a serious issue and requires bipartisan solutions. Recently, for the first time in eight years, Republicans and Democrats worked together to craft a bipartisan solution to a problem. The immigration reform bill was politicized and rejected by the Republicans for political reasons—Donald Trump persuaded enough members of his party to reject the bill to avoid handing President Biden a victory on immigration.
Willoughby should address her complaints to her party, the Republican Party. How about we stop playing political games and work together to address the problem?
Should political ads, or speech, be truthful? Of course they should!
The American people are desensitized, even immune to lies, especially those told by Donald Trump. He lies about everything—why should we expect truth in his advertising? Another recent ad on immigration falsely claims that our current vice president was appointed “border czar” by President Biden, and that ten million illegals crossed the southern border and are still here. What’s he talking about?
Shortly after Joe Biden took office, he assigned Kamala Harris to investigate the root causes of migration from three Central American countries. No one put her in charge of border security, which is the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. The Biden administration has apprehended approximately 7 million people trying to cross the southern border illegally. While there have been too many undocumented crossings, they number only a tenth of the number proffered by Trump.
Trump’s “I Don’t Understand” ad says Harris (shown dancing and having a good time) failed us as border czar. As previously stated, that claim is false. The president asked Harris to investigate the root causes of immigration from three countries. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the man charged with border security, had this to say about Vice President Harris:
“The vice president is leading our nation’s effort to tackle the root causes of migration—why people leave their homes in the first place. I and my colleagues in the Cabinet have been directed to execute the rest of the plan: to build safe and legal pathways for people who qualify for humanitarian relief under the laws our Congress has passed, to rebuild our country’s asylum system that was dismantled under the prior administration; in an orderly and just way, to remove those whose claims for relief do not qualify.”
The ad inflates the number of Fentanyl deaths and falsely claims a connection between these deaths and illegal immigration. But Fentanyl is smuggled into the U.S. mainly by American citizens coming into the country legally, not by people who are illegally crossing the border.
The ad also claims that “Isis is here,” a reference to a story about eight suspected “terrorists” who tried to enter the country through the southern border. The men were promptly tracked down and arrested, with no actionable intelligence generated to suggest that they were engaged in any terrorist activity.
Trump famously claims, especially in campaign appearances in battleground states like Nevada and Arizona, that he ‘fixed’ the border crisis when he was president. According to
Dangerously Dishonest Donald, the U.S. had ‘the most secure border we’ve ever had’ when he left office. In truth, illegal immigration increased almost 15% between 2016 and 2020.
The most outrageous examples of Trumpism are his false claims that illegal immigrants are taking “black jobs.” Aside from the offensive notion that there are ‘white jobs’ and ‘black jobs,’ statistics demonstrate that illegal immigrants have had almost no impact on the nation’s jobs report.
Unemployment is at historic lows, regardless of race, creed, or color. Wages are up, too, and Trump’s claim that border crossings have created “flat-out economic warfare” by “taking the jobs” of Black and Hispanic American workers is false. Trump also claims that unions are being ‘slaughtered’, while most observers have labeled our current president “Union Joe” for his stellar performance on labor issues.
This article would be enormously long if I posted all the lies and exaggerations spouted by Trump and his minions. They lie in every press release, speech, campaign event, advertisement, or interview. They lie more often than they tell the truth. Isn’t it imperative that we trust our leaders just a little bit? Unfortunately, though, when it comes to political advertising, there is no requirement for a campaign or politician to tell the truth.
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution protects political adspeak. The networks are not permitted to censor or edit ads offered directly by the candidate. Unlike broadcast networks, cable networks can censor or request edits, but the politicians are not required to tell the truth.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) oversees campaign ads and enforces rules. It does not ensure that the statements made therein are factually accurate. “Equal time” seems more important. The agency requires the presentation of all sides of a controversial issue and that candidates are treated equally in terms of time on the air or an invitation to respond to an opponent’s appearance. It does not assure that the ad or appearance contains accurate information.
Congress once passed the “Equal Opportunities Law,” which requires networks to offer equal time to candidates and prevents them from altering ad content. No station or network may censure the words of a candidate. Do you want truth in political ads? Talk to your senator or congressperson. According to the law, candidates have an absolute right to be ‘Trump-like’ outrageous. While a station or network may publish a disclaimer (‘these are not the views of this station or any of its affiliates”), it may not alter the ad’s content.
If a candidate is libeled or slandered, he or she may sue the offending opponent for defamation, but the burden or legal standard to prove the claim in court is extremely difficult. Besides, candidates frame many falsehoods as opinions, which are fair game. By way of example, if someone called Donald Trump a ‘felon’ before his conviction in the ‘hush money’ case, Trump might sustain a defamation suit. After his conviction on 34 felony counts, however, ‘felon’ is truthful.
My unsolicited advice? Be skeptical. Fact-check content on sites like snopes.com or factcheck.org. Study the issues and get to the meat and potatoes of these critical issues. Do we want shared American prosperity or hatred for people who perform the challenging, dangerous work that most Americans are unwilling to do?
Ultimately, candidates are permitted to market without editing or censorship so that We, The People, can decide these important issues for ourselves. After all, it is the American way. Hopefully, we will make the right choices for our children and grandchildren.
Please check out Mark Bello’s latest book, "The Anti-Semite Next Door," an exploration of antisemitism in the context of today's political environment.
It's the latest in Bello's ripped-from-the-headlines legal thrillers, all available online at Amazon and other major online booksellers. He has quite the hero in Attorney Zachary Blake, who fights for justice on all fronts. His previous books are Betrayal of Faith, Betrayal of Justice, Betrayal in Blue, Betrayal in Black, Betrayal High, Supreme Betrayal, Betrayal at the Border, You Have the Right to Remain Silent, and The Final Steps – A Harbor Springs Cozy Legal Mystery. He’s also written a wonderful children’s book about bullying, “Happy Jack, Sad Jack,” and he's just released "Love Hate Law," a new legal romance novel. For more info, just check markmbello.com.
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