I am terribly glad that I don't live in a swing state right now. Every day on daypop I see at least one link to an article or blog entry about the ads for the current Presidential candidates. Some people are offended or angered by these ads, others are simply irritated by the barrage. Personally, I try not to let TV ads influence my voting at all, so I would definitely fall into the last group if I had to see these ads at every commercial break. But I don't.

I live in South Carolina, a state so staunchly Republican that a current Lowcountry politician is running with the campaign slogan "He's The Republican Candidate." South Carolina is not a swing state, so the major Presidential candidates are not wasting their campaign funds on voters here. As a result, we get a break from political advertisements until August or so, when the Senate race starts to heat up. I think this is something the SC Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Tourism ought to exploit. Tell people in Tennessee and Pennsylvania that when they come to Myrtle Beach or Hilton Head they can escape the Presidential ad onslaught. Florida, being a swing state, can't make that claim. Wouldn't you rather spend a couple of ad-free weeks at Kiawah than take your vacation at Disneyland, where the ads are sure to follow?

At least for this summer, I propose that the SCDPRT (sheez, what an unwieldy acronym) change the official SC slogan from "Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places" to "Sun, Sand, and Sea - No Political Ads on TV." Admittedly, I'm no copywriter. But I think the concept works.