Herb Block adapted a quote from Shakespeare's <em>Macbeth</em> and depicted an outraged television viewer reacting angrily to the thirty-second television campaign advertisements called "spots." While spot advertisements on television had played a role in political elections since 1952, the amount of money candidates spent on them soared with the 1970 election. Mean-spirited spots, which candidates used to attack their opponents rather than address issues, also increased in number.