Political ads on TV harm us in many ways, and do us little if any good.
At best, they provide a few snippets of information with barely any context. More commonly, they are packed with huge distortions and vitriolic partisanship. They divide, misinform, and inflame.
Their staggering expense forces politicians to spend all their time fundraising and their effort catering to special interests.
Furthermore, their prohibitive expense means messaging is limited to those who can afford it. TV ads make speech less free, not more.
Banning political TV ads would be a big step forward to fairer elections, greater civility, and better government.