The Scariest Political Ad I’ve Seen in Years

The Scariest Political Ad I’ve Seen in Years
Here it is, election season 2026. Even in Boston.

I’ve been seeing the same political commercial over and over again on Boston television. Every time it comes on, I’m pretty sure I’m supposed to be scared.

The voice-over practically waves a red flag and shouts a warning, as if we’re all supposed to drop our coffee cups and run for the hills.

I’m leaving the candidate’s name out of this because this post isn’t about a person. It’s about an idea. It’s about what we’re being told to fear.

The ad calls the candidate a “do-everything socialist.” Then it starts laying out the evidence against them, one item after another, like it’s reading from a police report.

Housing for all.

Health care for all.

Child care for all.

Free public higher education.

Affordable housing programs.

Higher wages for workers.

More investment in public services and education.

Clean-energy initiatives.

Protections for immigrant families.

No cooperation with ICE.

Fewer prisons.

And I’m sitting there waiting for the bad part.

Honestly, I thought there had to be another shoe about to drop.

But that’s the list.

That’s what I’m supposed to be afraid of.

I found myself staring at the television thinking, Wait a minute. Which one of these am I supposed to hate?

That’s what grabbed me about the ad. Not the candidate. Not even the election. What grabbed me was the assumption behind it.

Somewhere along the line, we reached a place where “housing for all” can be presented as a threat. Where “health care for all” is supposed to sound frightening. Where making sure people can see a doctor, find a place to live, send their kid to daycare, or go to college without being buried in debt is treated like evidence for the prosecution.

Maybe I’m showing my age.

Maybe I grew up in a different America.

But I was always under the impression that having a roof over your head was a good thing. Being able to see a doctor was a good thing. Getting an education was a good thing.

Apparently that’s up for debate now.

The list doesn’t change.

Only the narrator does.

One side hears a promise.

The other side hears an indictment.

And that may tell us more about where America is today than any candidate ever could.

Because when somebody spends a pile of money trying to convince me that “health care for all” and “housing for all” are the scariest things they can put on television, I can’t help wondering who exactly they’re talking to.

Or maybe who they’re afraid of.

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