Political ads: You can't escape
Posted at 12:37 PM on April 18, 2008
by Bob Collins
(8 Comments)
Filed under: Politics
A lot of folks had a bad feeling when video monitors started popping up at the gas pump. It started with weather reports and then some local news, maybe an occasional blurb about a sale on beef jerky inside. But this? Now we're going to have to be subjected to political ads while we fill-up.
Comments (8)
Won't these ads be a case of singing to the choir? The ones who spend the most time pumping gas to fill up their SUV's are the ones who vote for the GOP anyway, right?
Why can't I just pump my gas in peace? There's no "off" switch on those things. I wonder if there's any "wireless" technology involved? If so, they're using public airwaves. So now does it open the door to FCC regulation for equal time.
I sense an opportunity for the gasprices.com folks to add a new filter -- gas stations without TV ads.
It would be interesting to study whether political ads have an impact on stations' bottom lines. Will people change their gas-buying habits if such ads are too annoying? I know I avoid a particular station because of the blaring TV - before political ads have shown up.
Yeah, the leg raised the gas tax by $.02 a gallon at the beginning of the month. But why am I paying $.35 a gallon more than I was three weeks ago?
Rep Seifert is right some consumers might be "torqued off" about gas prices. But the DFL doesn't seem to be the appropriate target for their ire.
However, Gremlin, it would be *useful* for the Republicans if the DFL was targeted as the cause of the entire rise in gas prices.
After all, the DFL "raised the gas tax 42 percent!". Taking advantage of mathematical illiteracy is a long and proud tradition.
It's a good place to make the 42-percent point. People can't pump and use a pencil and paper at the same time to figure out that at the rate of inflation since the last time the gas tax was raised....it would have gone up 18 cents.
Meanwhile, the cost of construction HAS kept pace with inflation. So the $10,000 spent on a road then would cost $19,000 today.
Not exactly sure how those numbers were ever supposed to add up. But keeping a few more dirt roads in rural Minnesota, perhaps, wouldn't have been a bad idea.
Yep, no way to fit all that in before the pump clicks because I only buy $10 at a time.
If I work efficiently, and the price of gasoline keeps going up, I should be able to be back in the car and on my way by the time the TV finishes saying, "Welcome to Holida.............."
I haven't seen these things. I use Super America for gas (and Cherry Coke in bottles), and they don't have those TVs (so far). If they did, and ESPECIALLY if I was being forced to listen to Republican spin, and MOST especially if it was Marty Seifert doing the spinning, I would definitely change gas stations, and let the corporation who owns the station know why I'm switching.
But isn't it just so Republican to do something like this? They'll grab ANY available audience for their marketing/spinning/lying. They're geniuses at this. And the DFL are just the opposite: they're marketing-challenged, to put it politely. And we probably won't see anything from them to counter this gas-tax spin.
Republicans vs. Cub Foods
The Holiday gas station I normally use gets my business because Cub Foods gives me gas coupons. It isn't the closest to my place, but as there are 2 stations between home and just about anywhere else & their gas is the same price ... why not go for the place that takes the Cub coupons?
ummmm, well now ....
1 or 2 cents/gallon isn't worth listening to GOP (or DFL or ETC) propaganda. I will definitely switch my business. Perhaps I'll also have to tell Cub Foods. November 5th, where are you!?
| April 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |||
Master Archive
Recent Entries
- Videos from here to there
- Weekend forecast: Partly to mostly eelpouty
- The victims of the vaccination debate (5x8 - 2/10/12)
- Tribe sues beer makers over alcoholism
- Constitutional amendment proposed to limit constitutional amendments
- Bear bill hibernates at Capitol
- Who smokes synthetic pot?
- 'Stand your ground bill' advances at Capitol
- White people debating racism (5x8 - 2/9/12)
- Judge orders man to take his wife on a date
Categories
- Add category
- Art or Eyesore?
- Arts
- Aviation
- Bridges and roads
- Coffeeshop Chronicles
- Crime and Justice
- Disasters
- Economy
- Energy
- Five by 8
- Floods
- Floods 2011
- Fresh Eye on the Radio (with Mary Lucia)
- Health
- History
- Icons
- Life
- Marketing and advertising
- Media
- Music
- News
- News Cut on Campus
- Northwest Airlines
- People doing good
- Politics
- Race
- Regional history
- Religion
- Schools
- Science
- Sports
- Surveys and trivia
- Tech
- The jobs we do
- The political conventions
- The Quiz
- The Unemployed series
- Things that are puzzling
- War
- Weather
- What's the Story Here?
- When people do good
- wildlife
- You Should Meet...
Services
In The Spotlight
-
Sound Learning
Looking for ways to ensure your students are doing quality research from credible sources? Sound Learning is a launching point to Minnesota Public Radio's content on the Web. -
The Current Music Blog
Your daily note for good music, news and pop culture. With attempted jokes.
- Become a Member
- Member Connect Accounts
- Leadership Circle
- Sustaining Members
- Member Discounts
- Become a Sponsor
- Tax Information
- Planned Giving
- Vehicle Donation
- Donate Stock
