Election Year Rains Millions on Media Outlets

[Commentary] While there are less than 100 days left to the election, there are still billions of dollars to be spent on ads. With the countdown to Election 2008 upon us, below is your viewing guide to all things political advertising -- from what we have seen to what we expect will keep us talking. The forces that have set the stage for this season's record-breaking ad spending can be traced back to elections from the past two decades. The Clinton 1996 stealth strategy was the precursor to the early-advertising strategies we see today. Fundraising increases and group tactics can be traced back to changes in the campaign finance laws in 2003. Heavy use of Internet fundraising began in the 2000 election. Joe Lieberman's primary loss in 2006 sparked incumbent insecurity. All of these forces have come together to create today's political environment of considerable ad spending and an ever-lengthening ad cycle.