Dirty RATS: Campaign ad may have swayed voters subliminally

Psychological research sparked by a controversial campaign advertisement aired during the 2000 presidential election suggests that a 30-second spot–which briefly flashed “RATS”–may have negatively affected viewers’ opinions of Democratic candidate Al Gore.

In one segment of the ad, which was funded by the Republican National Committee, short fragments of the phrase “BUREAUCRATS DECIDE” dance about the screen while a narrator criticizes Gore’s prescription-drug plan for seniors.