> attack ads, like Super PACs, are unimaginable here, legally and culturally.<p>Legally? There are laws preventing certain kinds of criticism of political parties, and we're celebrating this?<p>Perhaps it's because I haven't seen many attack ads (as a UK citizen who doesn't watch adverts), but I don't get the hatred for them. Is informing the populace of the downsides of your opponents' positions not better than putting contentless posters all over the city?
Perhaps this is partly due to the multitude of parties, which in turn is due to the nature of the electoral system?<p>In a two party system, a lot of people feel like they are voting for the lesser of two evils, so negative campaigning is presumably far more helpful to your cause.<p>If you have to compete with multiple parties for votes, you need to offer more than simply criticism of the opposition.
Actually, some of the posters from Die Grünen (Green Party) have a rather personal taste to them. See [1], which shows Merkel and Röstler (figureheads of the current ruling parties) with the caption "It's always someone else's fault". And then of course, there's the fringe parties, like [2], saying "Which ass will you choose this September?".<p>[1]: <a href="http://www.gruene.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Bilder/Webbanner/plakat6_540x382.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://www.gruene.de/fileadmin/user_upload/Bilder/Webbanner/...</a>
[2]: <a href="http://img01.lachschon.de/images/153979_WelcherArschdarfsdennsein_1.jpg" rel="nofollow">http://img01.lachschon.de/images/153979_WelcherArschdarfsden...</a><p>Of course, that's still kittens and rainbows compared to the rabid, poisonous insanity that is considered normal in the US.
I'm from Canada, and there are attack ads everywhere. I can't stand them. Instead of using your money, your time and your effort trying to destroy another candidate, tell me why you're better. I think it's by and large one of the major reasons I have little faith or interest in the politics of my country.
What is there to attack, when they are all exactly the same? Germany will hop between SPD and CDU forever. With 0 change. The greens and FDP are merely helpers to fake some noise in our mindless american-style media apparatus. I don't even bother with voting. Politics only distracting you from what is real.