Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Politcs of the Meanest. Again, and again, and again.

It seems there are lots of people out there, not just me, who are turned off by the negativing campaigning of the four candidates running for the top two slots in the executive branch. Today alone, I counted at least 6 articles on CNN and Fox News that talked about it. This is something that is transcending partisan politics. Washington - take note. People want the negative campaigning to stop.

Campbell Brown has an excellent non-partisan commentary urging the candidates (both of them) to stop the negative campaigning:

By now you've probably heard about how ugly things have gotten out there on the campaign trail in the last 48 hours.

But we thought for just a moment we would take you back to kinder, gentler times.

Remember this:

Sen. John McCain: "I pledge again a respectful campaign. A respectful campaign based on the issues and based on the stark differences we have on the vision for the future of America."

Sen. Barack Obama: "I said I was looking forward to a civil substantive debate on the issues and he agreed."

McCain: "I've pledged to conduct a respectful campaign and I urge, time after time, various entities within the Republican party to also do that."

Obama: "We don't need John McCain and I to be demonizing each other. You won't get that from my campaign."


Oh how far we have come in such a short period of time. . . . There is just one month left. Please, please don't let this devolve into a campaign you are sickened by and embarrassed to be part of.

Here's a purely practical reason: The negativity you are spewing now will only make your job harder after Election Day.

Bipartisanship is really tough to achieve when everyone on both sides is left with a bad bad taste in their mouths.
There's more. Please be sure to read the rest of her excellent commentary.

And on the same day that Ms. Brown's commentary was published, there were many other articles on many different news services, both liberal and conservative, about the ugliness of the campaign:

Here's one about independent voters and the riskiness of attack ads. Independent voters, who make up nearly 25% of the electorate, and who are a) likely to decide the next election given how close it is, and b) likely to be repelled by negative attack ads. And honestly, those who have decided are likely to be repelled by the ads, too.

And finally, here are two stories about the brand-new ads being released where the two candidates call each other liars: here and here.

As I proposed in an earlier article: Lets make fear-mongering, negative campaigning ineffective. Let folks of both parties know you won't be swayed buy such negative ads.

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