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Ambassador Advisors, LLC is a Registered Investment Advisor. Securities offered through American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc., of Holbrook, NY, 631.439.4600 (APFS), member FINRA, SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Ambassador Advisors, LLC. Ambassador Advisors is not owned or operated by APFS.


Bring the Noise! I


n case you’ve been avoiding your television (and every other news source in your home), the end is almost upon us. No… not the end of civilization (hopefully), but the end of one of the most publicized, politicized and polarized elections


Adrian Young,


JD, MBA, CAP®, CFP®, Executive Vice President


in U. S. history. Perhaps not since the campaigns that resulted in Andrew Jackson’s 1828 victory over John Quincy Adams has the nation observed such a stomach-turning spectacle.


Te 2016 Presidential campaigns, like those before them, serve as a short-lived reflection of our culture, at the time. In an age where the proliferation of unfiltered information elevates conspiracies and blatant falsehoods


to the brink of credibility, and social media creates platforms for nearly any viewpoint, rhetoric via sound bites is now the most powerful weapon in the war of public influence. Te art of developing an impressive effect on one’s audience, regardless of the sincerity or meaningfulness of the content, is now a billion-dollar science. From lobbying groups to Super-PACs, developing rhetoric that voters might rally around, no matter how far-fetched, is the clear strategy to win this election. Te more sound bites ringing in people’s ears, the greater the chance that one of them will resonate with someone, somewhere. Similar to these sound bites, throughout society, influence is commanded by those who can cram the most rhetoric into a 140-word tweet or a viral social media post. Te question becomes, “What is the truth and what is an illusion?”


Unlike days gone by, accountability for the truthfulness of our statements (or even our actions, it seems) has become nearly irrelevant. Te rhetoric machines, the campaigns and the candidates understand that the sheer volume of (mis)information available to the public, coupled with the speed at which “news” loses its relevance, makes lasting fallout from any mishap


(intentional or not) a virtual impossibility. Similarly, when scandal abounds in other areas of society, we see the implementation of a “deny, deny…wait for the next news cycle…” tactic when it comes to accountability. If the truth is so overwhelmingly clear that it actually survives to the next news cycle, a well-crafted, self-serving apology is finally released. By the time the apology reaches the public, though, most have forgotten the issue in the first place.


Perhaps not since the campaigns that


resulted in Andrew Jackson’s 1828 victory over John Quincy Adams has the nation observed such a stomach-turning spectacle.


So, what are we to do as voters and concerned citizens? Pray, of course. First, pray for discernment, and before you cast a vote for what sounds like free trade, fair trade, tax reform or a “great wall” to the south (and, presumably, an even bigger wall to the north to keep the Democratic tax base from fleeing to Canada), remember that meaningful content is hard to come by. Next, as the cannons of rhetoric get louder, pray for the return of individual accountability. Be it our actions and words or, even more importantly, the examples we set for our youth, bringing society back to a place where it remembers what rhetoric actually means may be our only hope to truly “make America great again”.


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