Congressman Bashes Challenger Over 1999 Video Game Violence Vote

Congressman Bashes Challenger Over 1999 Video Game Violence Vote

October 21, 2006
It's the home stretch to November's mid-term elections, and candidates can't seem to churn out the negative ads fast enough.

The Associated Press reports on a new, 30-second TV spot in Indiana which exploits the video game violence issue to slam a former Congressman for a seven-year old vote.

There, Republican Mike Sodrel is clinging to his place in Congress in the wake of a challenge from Democrat Baron Hill. Hill is trying to win back the seat he lost to Stobel in 2004.

The Sodrel ad features a stark, black screen, as described by the AP:
"The text is white against a black screen. The sound is the electronic warbling of a video game. But in this political ad, the message is in the faceless voices of cheerful children engaged in mayhem."

"Hit the hooker with the tire iron!" "Steal the old lady's car." "Shoot her first!"

The ad, which broadly accuses Hill of voting against restrictions on video game violence, refers to a 1999 amendment to a juvenile crime bill which would have blocked the sale of violent and sexually explict games and movies to teens. The amendment, which 92 Republicans also voted against, failed over concerns about First Amendment issues.
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Comments

Submitted by nightwng2000 - October 21, 2006 at 7:25 am -0500
Kajex,
Not only a bill that was unconstitutional under several ammendments, including the First Amendment.
Not only a bill that was voted against by a great many individuals.
And not only a bill that has no real factual scientific basis.

But a bill that violates Parental Rights.
And an ad that fails to point out that retailers ALREADY have policies setting age limits.
AND an ad that fails to point out that the FTC has been following up with studies on the success/failure of those policies and that the studies show a steady decline in the failure rate of those policies since 2000.

But let's face it, politicians who want video game legislation DON'T want to educate individuals because then the individuals could make up their OWN minds. This ad only shows that this politician wants NOTHING to do with educating individuals about the facts because there is a clear lack of The Truth, The WHOLE Truth, and Nothing But The Truth.

nightwng2000
NW2K Software
Submitted by Dustin1986 - October 21, 2006 at 7:22 am -0500
The way this ad is described, it sounds like it must be a joke. I can't believe there really is an ad like that. "Hit her with the tire iron!" You've got to be kidding me.
Submitted by Kajex - October 21, 2006 at 6:06 am -0500
So wait. Hold on a sec. He's being bashed because he voted against an amendment that 92 other Republicans voted against, an amendment that was unconstitutional more than likely, in an issue where the subject matter is STILL debatable with no solid proof that games hurt anybody? Concerning games that children shouldn't have in the first place and was most likely bought by the ignorant parent who isn't paying attention to what their child is shouting out gleefully?
Submitted by Bigman-K - October 21, 2006 at 8:00 am -0500
Yet again the media and politicans make more comparsions between child molesters and pedophiles with that of kids playing violent video games. Absolutly fucking sickening. I really think the ESA should be suing alot of people for this sort of crap now, If it's possible. Grow some balls ESA.
Submitted by Mr. Blond - October 21, 2006 at 9:08 pm -0500
Don't go singing the praises of Baron Hill just yet. IIRC, even though he voted against this, he later became a co-sponsor of Joe Baca's Protect Children From Video Game Sex and Violence Act.
Submitted by Matthew - October 21, 2006 at 8:42 am -0500
October 2006

Mike Sodrel produced a campaign ad saying that Baron Hill did not try to ban a violent video game which did not even exist.
Submitted by bayushisan - October 21, 2006 at 9:59 am -0500
I'd like to see someone at a townhall type meeting finally ask the question so many want answered. Are you for or against the First Ammendment as it is written by the Constitution of the United States; because your television ads show a woeful misunderstanding of the issue and a seeming adherance to a position that shows you would like to restrict a persons right to speak and to choose.
Submitted by grls-r-gamers-2 - October 21, 2006 at 10:01 am -0500
Baron Hill gets my vote. Well, he would if I wasn't 15 :)
Submitted by jordan_thegamer - October 21, 2006 at 10:34 am -0500
what we don't get to see the ad?
Submitted by Brer - October 21, 2006 at 11:16 am -0500
Soooo...what was that about the Democrats being the party against video game legislation again?

@bayushian

I've seen how that sort of question gets answered. The general format goes something like this:

"Well, that's a very important issue, I think, and of course we all understand that free speech is a vital part of the constitution and of our way of life. At the same time, though, I think everyone understands that there are limits. We don't let people issue death threats against people for the color of their skin, or publish works involving the sexual exploitation of minors. So you have to understand that when speech becomes a matter of public safety that sometimes there are other concerns that have to be addressed..."

Games haven't come up here in Colorado's 4th district (Dem. Angie Paccione vs. Rep Marilyn Musgrave), probably because they're too busy accussing one another of cheating on taxes, dishonesty, killing puppies, stealing candy from babies, and so on. I have to decide between filing a spoilt ballot or supporting the reform party candidate. At the moment, I'm leaning towards the former.
Submitted by Kyouryuu - October 21, 2006 at 11:46 am -0500
The Congressman wants us to be outraged that these kids are apparently playing Grand Theft Auto. Myself, I wonder where the parents are. Is that such a foreign concept these days?
Submitted by Anon. Fan - October 21, 2006 at 11:50 am -0500
Nice to see a Democrat standing up for games for once. Too many, like Hillary, are simply trying to jump on the moralistic bandwagon to appeal to conservative voters.
Submitted by Salen - October 21, 2006 at 3:03 pm -0500
Yeah, this is just a cheap ploy to get people pissed off at someone instead of giving them the facts that it was pretty much a law that went agaisnt the Constitution. Typical election year political ad, I'm sad to say, although probably a bit more tasteless than most other.
Submitted by jccalhoun - October 21, 2006 at 7:40 pm -0500
These are the same ads that I mentioned in the Hillary Clinton post. Self-promoting link: Here's my blog post with copies of the two ads ran against Hill that mentions videogames http://popularculturegaming.com/archives/000211.html
Submitted by otakucode - October 24, 2006 at 2:14 pm -0500
Voting against unconstitutional restrictions of freedom is a GOOD thing.

Any congressperson who votes for a law that is later overturned as unconstitutional should at a minimum be ejected from office as incompetent, and if forethought and foreknowledge of the unconstitutionality of the law can be proven, charges of treason should be levied.
Submitted by jccalhoun - October 24, 2006 at 6:01 pm -0500
I just got a political campaign call about this. When I asked why voting against the law was wrong she seemed confused why I would think that it might not be wrong to "protect the children." Then she said, "Maybe Hill is just out of touch with Hoosier values" and I asked if she was implying that there was something wrong with my values. Then she hung up.

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