You know...this bugs me

Taken from an article on CNN.com:


The Bush press secretary said he "hopes the Kerry campaign will join us in calling for an end to all unregulated ads." Asked whether the campaign will demand the ad be pulled from the air, he said, "We are calling for a cessation of all unregulated ads and hope the Kerry campaign will join us."


I start to see the point of two things here. First, I see the point of why some people want to open up the airwaves to anyone who's got 100000 bucks to kill on a political Ad...the other point I see is why people want to regulate ads, in general. This kind of stuff does nothing to help the discussion and is really smearing at its heart.

Here's an idea...since the FCC controls the airwaves overall, why don't they require the major networks to allow, during an election year (for feasibility, how about after the two conventions are over), at least one 60 second spot per hour between 6pm and Midnight Eastern Time to each candidate's campaign for a nationally broadcast campaign message? Totally ban all other advertisements that specifically attack, promote, or discuss specific candidates. Nothing wrong with a group buying an ad that says: "We're so and so representing the children of so and so's everywhere...we believe in these values..and that's why we put our support behind *insert party* candidates everywhere...." *shrug* that's not the best idea out there, but it's better than these smear attack ads that get launched by the detritus of the left AND right.