Contest of Politicians or Advertisers?

I have never been a fan of politics or political advertisement. The messages with the ending "I approve this message" quote always have some type of negative attack on people. The others seem to focus on the facts of politicians. To me, I wouldn't want a negative public figure that puts others down to put himself up. What does that say about his/her leadership goal? It sounds to me that he/she will be more likely to put the people down to get him up. Most of the audience though will not think like this because they have not taken the same classes that I have that have expanded my view on ads. They will think, "Wow, that other person must be awful. I don't want them to represent me." On the contrary, they are both probably just as bad and just as good as their opponent. The real contest is between the advertisers and who will get paid more money.