The game of politics can be an uncivil, ugly one. The events of this week’s Republican National Convention are a strong reminder.

Uncivil examples from the Republican convention

Perhaps the most widely reported event of the week was Ted Cruz’s Wednesday night speech. He encouraged convention attendees to “vote your conscience”. The crowd began to boo him because of his refusal to endorse Donald Trump. Cruz responded in a separate rally the next day. He vowed not to support a candidate who had attacked both his wife and father in the media.

Trump launched a series of personal attacks on Cruz throughout his campaign. The most notable ones were those Cruz mentioned in his Thursday rally. Trump publicly mocked the appearance of Cruz’s wife Heidi. He tried to link Cruz’s father to the assassination of JFK.

Many people have sympathized with Cruz. They praise him for choosing his principles over party allegiance. But one has to wonder: Why is politics so uncivil?

Negative Campaigning Is The Most informative

One reason: Being rude, mean and insulting often works. Negative campaigning has been around since the days of the Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas debates, with their cheering, booing, and accusations. Negative ads expose the weaknesses in an opponent’s policies or character. Though they’re often nasty, these ads tend to be the only ones that dive into specifics.

CNN’s Joshua Spivak explored this in depth in a 2012 editorial. Positive ads often hone in on personality traits and characteristics. They serve as a window into a politician’s life but not his or her platform. And because of this, negative ads seem to be the one advertising strategy that’s informative.

The Media Cherishes The Uncivil

Since the days of Watergate, the press has rallied around stories of corruption and political failure. The moment a scandal breaks, the 24-hour news cycle devours and exposes it. These are the stories that have dominated our radios, TV, and news feeds for decades. The negative stories keep politicians on the defensive. And because all of this negativity is on full display, each candidate has a wealth of material to choose from in an effort to take down the opponent.

The more negative the story, the more impressive its presentation. We’ve been molded to reward bad news with our attention. So instead of rising above it, our politicians feed us more of it.

How Do We Fix It?

A shorter election cycle would reduce the squabbling between politicians. This cycle’s top candidates have been campaigning for a year. In an age where news drops from trending topics in a matter of hours, that’s a long time to stay visible. Negativity cuts through, and each candidate has to find new ways to maintain relevancy.

We could also demand better. We could stop responding to the negative ads. We could show our politicians that we expect real policy conversations before an election. Less rhetoric. More specifics. Until then, there will be more of the same.