Mark Penn eloquently makes the case for negative ads

So I’ll say something unpopular. Negative ads are by and large good for our democracy. And when they are not – when they overreach unfairly, they boomerang and the people who ran them take a well-deserved hit. But when they focus us on something important -like who would make a better commander in chief, who would fix the economy or when they bring up past events that need a real vetting – they do a service. They don’t let politicians off the hook and hold them accountable for their past actions.