Willie Horton. A pair of white hands crumpling the official notification that an employee was fired because of affirmative action quotas. An idyllic picture of a little girl picking daisies in a field changing to the countdown to a nuclear explosion.

All are famous negative advertisements from past American elections. But compared to the gutter-level ads being broadcast in many races throughout the nation this year, those ads seem tame. During this election season, voters have been deluged with ads packed with mudslinging and lacking meaningful content. From the now-famous “putzhead” comments in New York’s senatorial race to Maryland gubernatorial candidates who have purposely distorted each others’ records, the airwaves are full of negative ads and reprisals. This hardly is democracy at its finest.

The United States has one of the lowest rates of voter turnout in the world. Most polls show the general public sees the entire political process through a lens of cynicism and distrust. Blanketing the airwaves with ads that harp on opponents’ records without putting the information in context and that fail to address the real issues in a campaign only contributes to the public’s disillusionment with politics.

It would be extremely naive to argue for only “positive” spots or ads that address real concerns. Politicians always have used negative campaigning, and will continue to use it as long as their consultants tell them it works. Perhaps a time will come when candidates voluntarily choose to focus on what they stand for instead of harping on what their opponents do not. Until that day arrives, we will continue to be drowned in a sea of mud and distortion of the truth. Is it any wonder people don’t care about politics?