Has this been the dirtiest Presidential campaign in your lifetime?

[techs]

I have seen quite a few Presidential elections in my more than 50 years on this planet.
Sadly, this has been, imo, the dirtiest one I can remember.

Maybe its the internet, the proliferation of cable channels, the polarization in the country, the closeness of the divided political camps population wise, but damn, its not just the dirtiest, but by far the dirtiest.

I saw both Nixon campaigns and they were a love in compared to this one.
In fact, even Bush-Kerry was in a whole nother ballpark compared to this one.

I am interest in your thoughts, and whether things will get better or worse.

 

[Red Dawn]

McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

 

[T2T III]

Yes, it has been. I just wish the moderators remained a mystery like they were in the old days. Having them post amonst these forums while wearing a badge just doesn't seem right. That's my .02

 

[jman19]

Originally posted by: T2T III
Yes, it has been. I just wish the moderators remained a mystery like they were in the old days. Having them post amonst these forums while wearing a badge just doesn't seem right. That's my .02

What do the mods have to do with the Presidential campaigns? Are you even capable of making one post without coming off as a total hack or crying about something?

 

[Xavier434]

Yes

 

[TeeJay1952]

24 hour news networks looking to fill the time and justify the money they have spent on "covering" the election have been the root cause of all this negativity.

 

[L00PY]

Every Presidential campaign is the dirtiest ever run. The 2012 campaign will be no different.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: jman19

Originally posted by: T2T III
Yes, it has been. I just wish the moderators remained a mystery like they were in the old days. Having them post amonst these forums while wearing a badge just doesn't seem right. That's my .02

What do the mods have to do with the Presidential campaigns? Are you even capable of making one post without coming off as a total hack or crying about something?

I was implying that while this is a dirty campaign, it still would be nice to have the moderators do their "behind the scenes" work and behave as just that - moderators.

Please stay on topic or stop posting in the thread
bsobel

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

What exactly has his campaign done?

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: L00PY
Every Presidential campaign is the dirtiest ever run. The 2012 campaign will be no different.

Especially, if the war chests of money keep getting bigger and bigger.

 

[OCGuy]

Bush/Kerry was worse. My how people forget.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

Agreed. I don't think that America has seen a Presidential campaign this filthy and dishonorable as McCain has run within anyone's living memory.

Originally posted by: T2T III
Yes, it has been. I just wish the moderators remained a mystery like they were in the old days. Having them post amonst these forums while wearing a badge just doesn't seem right. That's my .02

This has nothing to do with this subject besides be an unfair callout and thread duhversion from someone who just had his account reactivated a mere 2 weeks ago, but I'll humor you anyway.
Most of us already knew who the mods were anyway, and there were a lot of accusations and cries of "foul" running around that certain posters where hiding behind their mod anonymity. So IMO, this change (which I supported before it happened) has been for the better. Every other internet message board operates this way successfully.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

What exactly has his campaign done?

Offended a lot of Democrats, brought up the names of a few criminals that have associations with Obama. All of which the Democrats seem to believe it all has little relevance. I guess if Obama were to pick Osama Bin Laden as his Chief of International Peace, the Democrats would be happy with that too. :lips:

 

[Mxylplyx]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Bush/Kerry was worse. My how people forget.

no shit. The candidates have at least stuck to attacking eachothers message and policy, instead of their character. Then again, neither of these candidates seems to have major character weaknesses that are easy to attack. Lets face it, Kerry was a douche, and his 3 purple hearts with nary a scar to show for it, doesnt pass the stink test.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: Ocguy31
Bush/Kerry was worse. My how people forget.

I disagree, and I don't forget. Granted, the Swiftboat attack was incredibly dishonorable IMO no matter what you political persuasion, to attack a decorated vet in that fashion just because he changed his mind on the war when he got home, but it was limited in scope, and Bush managed to keep some of his honor by staying above the fray and never directly participating in the attacks personally.

 

[Vic]

Originally posted by: T2T III

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

What exactly has his campaign done?

Offended a lot of Democrats, brought up the names of a few criminals that have associations with Obama. All of which the Democrats seem to believe it all has little relevance. I guess if Obama were to pick Osama Bin Laden as his Chief of International Peace, the Democrats would be happy with that too. :lips:

Troll.

 

[Jaskalas]

Originally posted by: T2T III

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

What exactly has his campaign done?

Offended a lot of Democrats, brought up the names of a few criminals that have associations with Obama.

That it?

From the group think among Democrats I expected something huge that I missed, to explain the level of hatred and vitriol directed towards McCain's "dirty" campaign.

 

[Thump553]

Mid-fifties. I would say that this is one of the cleanest, perhaps behind only Ford v. Carter (the last issue driven, honorable campaign on both sides).

Any election involving GWB or Nixon is automatically dirtier-both of them had staffs that specialized in dirty tricks, and the leaders revealed in them.

One of the main factors I consider in whether a campaign is dirty is whether the deck is stacked from the beginning by gerrymandering. The GOP has taken that to ultra-sophisticated levels from the late 80s on.

I think Palin, and to a lesser extent McCain, try the smear and inuendo but they are both so obvious and amateurish it doesn't stick.

I must admit though, if I never hear a snarky crack from Palin again I'll be happy. She's like nails on a chalkboard to me at times.

 

[Genx87]

Maybe I have a thicker skin, remember things differently, or not paying enough attention. This election cycle has achieved the typical level of absurdness. But I wouldnt say it was the dirtiest I have ever witnessed. Most of the shit flying back and forth is your typical political crap. Class warfare, guilt by association, finger pointing, lying blah blah.

I actually felt 2004 was way more partisan and dirty. The swift boats, Danny Rather trying to sink Bush's campaign with a fake document, anybody but Bush, smearing Kerry, Rove hating, Darth Cheney, misrepresentations ect ect.

/shrug

 

[Xavier434]

Originally posted by: T2T III

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

What exactly has his campaign done?

Offended a lot of Democrats, brought up the names of a few criminals that have associations with Obama. All of which the Democrats seem to believe it all has little relevance. I guess if Obama were to pick Osama Bin Laden as his Chief of International Peace, the Democrats would be happy with that too. :lips:

First of all, there is a lot more to it than that.

Second of all, do you want to start talking about all of the Republicans, Libertarians, and other Independents that got offended? The man didn't offend a bunch of Democrats. He offended a lot of Americans.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Thump553

I think Palin, and to a lesser extent McCain, try the smear and inuendo but they are both so obvious and amateurish it doesn't stick.

Just because it was dirty doesn't mean it was effective. If Palin had any credibility what so ever she might have been slightly more effective.

 

[Moonbeam]

Dirty, I'm not sure. Bush acing McSame with the black baby was pretty bad. The swift boating of Kerry was foul.

What this campaign has been marked by, in my opinion, is the pure innuendo put out there by Republicans. Their whole campaign seems to be based of stupidity and irrelevant 50s cold ware fear mongering and 'boogeyman's going to get ya' tripe.

Well, MeSame is senile and the ditz had nothing to say.

 

[T2T III]

Originally posted by: Thump553
I must admit though, if I never hear a snarky crack from Palin again I'll be happy. She's like nails on a chalkboard to me at times.

She'll be back, in some form or another. Even "hot head" Howard Dean was fortunate enough to get the position of being head of the Democratic National Committee.

 

[nageov3t]

excluding stuff that happened in the primaries like Bill Clinton being framed as a racist, nothing I've seen this year can hold a candle to the swift boaters... certainly nothing in the same league as the campaigns Nixon ran, though I only know about them through reading.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Xavier434

Originally posted by: T2T III

Originally posted by: Jaskalas

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
McCain's run the dirtiest campaign I've ever witnessed. Neither him nor Palin have been the slightest bit honorable in this election.

What exactly has his campaign done?

Offended a lot of Democrats, brought up the names of a few criminals that have associations with Obama. All of which the Democrats seem to believe it all has little relevance. I guess if Obama were to pick Osama Bin Laden as his Chief of International Peace, the Democrats would be happy with that too. :lips:

First of all, there is a lot more to it than that.

Second of all, do you want to start talking about all of the Republicans, Libertarians, and other Independents that got offended? The man didn't offend a bunch of Democrats. He offended a lot of Americans.

Yep even members of his own party say McCain's run a dishonorable and dirty campaign.