Out of all the campaign ads, Law and Order by Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey was the best. The reason is that this was not a regular political ad attacking the campaign of an opponent. This ad shows Humphrey being asked about obtaining respect from America if he becomes president. This ad was logically sound and precise because it did not snip together random images of the American society. It showed a candidate actually defending their intentions and goals for presidency. Humphrey’s words might have sounded revolutionary in 1968, but they sound normal by today’s standards. He argued that we shouldn’t seek to increase convictions in America and build bigger jails. Despite the social and political violence occurring during the 1960’s, this argument rings true today. Humphrey’s ad also emphasizes his belief in providing support for American citizens such as social welfare. He stands in stark contrast to the restrictive and untrustworthy stance that Nixon has towards the American public. His critique of Nixon is not based on insults or offensive remarks, but on ideological differences. This public campaign is a mature approach that many modern campaigns today fail to follow.
This ad made me think about our system of criminal justice in the United States. I think Humphrey’s comment in this 1968 ad is startling; “you’re not going to make this a better America just because you build more jails.” We failed to listen to this advice and now we have the most amount of people incarcerated per capita in the world. As everyone has seen, jailing more individuals has not decreased the issues we have in society. This can be seen in the rise of crime throughout the 20th century. I agree with Humphrey’s perspective about rehabilitation because locking people up doesn’t completely restore justice. This can be seen in people who are habitual offenders. Much of the neglect and abuse that occurs in prison only creates contempt among prisoners. Our prison system frequently violates basic human rights in order to exert unnecessary force on vulnerable people. If individuals are viewed as forever unfit to live in society, what is the point of reformation and rehabilitation? There is no incentive for prisoners to self-improve and atone for one’s mistakes. Thus, Humphrey’s remarks on reforming criminal justice are morally sound and I respect him because of this.
URL: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1968
You make a very interesting connection to Humphrey’s ad and the current state of criminal justice in the US. I completely agree with your conclusions on why our current system is so faulty and I am blown away by the lack of progress we have made since this ad and the very accurate perspectives shared. I have always been weighed down by not only our mind-blowing statistics on incarceration and recidivism rates, but also the way our justice system and rehabilitation system is designed. Humphrey talked about both and I also agree with his ideas, it is amazing that he spoke so truthfully decades ago and our current state is exactly what he was speaking about.
I think that it is so interesting that Humphrey’s ad disused building prisons and the criminal justice system because I feel that hardly any candidates today talk about or even have an ad that talks about this. I think that it is crazy that Humphry was talking about exactly what our justice system has become. It makes you wonder if he had been elected if the system would be any different today.