Dirtiest Presidential Campaign?

[rucky]

[Lilith Velkor]

1. Jefferson vs Adams

[InNeedOfUserName]

20. "a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatt

Things got ugly fast. Jefferson's camp accused President Adams of having a "hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman."

In return, Adams' men called Vice President Jefferson "a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayoflife/08/22/mf.campaign.slurs.slogans/index.html

[rucky]

25. I was hoping the history buffs would chime in.

[Essene]

29. but at least those insults had flair...

silly deists

[PBS Poll-435]

2. McCain vs Palin

:shrug:

[On the Road]

3. Depends on What "Dirty" Means

The single biggest dirty trick was Reagan's secret deal with the Iranians to prevent the release of the hostages.

The 2000 campaign was the most dishonest in its depiction of one candidate (Gore), although that was largely done by the media rather than the other campaign.

But for sheer dishonest, negative campaigning, I have never seen anything like the McCain campaign. You might have to go back to the 19th century for anything comparable.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

4. This is the worst of the TV era

I don't think any recent campaign has made an explicit effort to say the opponent is guilty of crimes for which he should be executed. (From the campaign itself rather than merely through dirty-tricks groups.)

second dirtiest: 1972 and 2004 tied.

fourth: 1988

[Yukari Yakumo]

5. It should be...

McCane

vs. Obama

I don't think anyone has ever run a campaign more vile and despicable than Mc:nuke:.

[truthisfreedom]

6. You have it backwards. The Dem belongs on the left. Obama versus McCain.

[rucky]

14. But the (R) is the first name in dirtiness.

[Bicoastal]

7. I've never seen an election before...

...where one candidate blatantly accused another of being a terrorist-sympathizing socialist.

[SoxFan]

11. 1972?

Nixon played the Commie card (the terrorism card of its day) against McGovern.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

23. And Spiro T. Kickback

basically said McGovern was going to give every n***** $10,000 and a free white woman. Or something damn near that.

[tomg]

8. Grover Cleveland vs. James G.Blaine

That was dirty. Cleveland got slapped with a paternity rap ("Ma,Ma,Where's My Pa/Gone to the White House ha ha ha") and Blaine was accused of being anti-Catholic and anti-Irish ("Rum, Romanism and Rebellion" - his sister was a nun and his mother a convert) and lost New York in a squeeker. In fact, Blaine won the popular vote and lost the electoral.

They have all been pretty dirty, though.

[scheming daemons]

9. Now that we know what he did to gain advantage, it has to be Nixon/McGovern '72

He broke into the DNC headquarters for chrissakes.


Nothing lower than that!

[SoxFan]

10. Nixon 1972

Give them credit, they knew how to multitask. They slimed McGovern AND Muskie.

Watergate, the "Canuck Letter", and dozens of other filthy incidents that make Schmidt and co. look like rank amateurs.

[H2O Man]

32. No question.

None of the others comes close.

[leftist.]

12. Would Bush vs McCain 2000 count? n/t

[Donald Ian Rankin]

13. "Negative" or "corrupt"?

You'd go a long way to find a campaign more negative than Johnson's agains t Goldwater, I suspect.

From what I've heard, the 1960 Kennedy vs Nixon campaign was exceptionally corrupt, on both sides.

[rucky]

15. Your call.

I'm just enjoying the history lesson.

[Mike 03]

16. This is the worst I've ever seen, but I have to say, having worked on the

Dukakis campaign, "Willy Horton" was one of the ugliest campaign ads I've ever seen.

[tishaLA]

17. I voted Bush/Kerry

But I don't remember some. To me, the smears against Sen Kerry's military record, and the complicity of the press, was the most vile political attack I cam imagine.

[mvd]

28. Same here

It was so hypocritical of them that I had to give it to 2004, even though McSame's covered just about every smear - celebrity, socialist, palling with terrorists, Ayers, etc.

[InNeedOfUserName]

18. They have always been nasty. I saw this poster on the web recently>>>

[rucky]

21. LOL

[IsItJustMe]

19. Although this is the nastiest election ever, McCain/Palin has not used the N word yet. We still

have a few days to go.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

22. Nixon in 1972 was the crookedest

Burglaries, black bag jobs, suitcases full of money, open corporate bribery (remember ITT, oldtimers?), rampant criminality, corruption of the FBI, IRS and CIA to list only the stuff I remember off the top of my head.

Grampy has set the standard for non-criminal sleaziness, though.

[stevenleser]

24. Although the dirt was all in one direction...

And I think that is why you see this ---> http://www.pollingreport.com/l.htm#McCain

McCain unfavorables higher than his favorables

[jobycom]

26. This is lightweight. Reagan kicked off his campaign by supporting the murderers of three Civil Right

activists in Philadelphia, Mississippi, and telling voters he would fight against the federal government for states' rights--presumably the right to fight desegregation and Civil Rights.

I expected this one to get a lot a dirtier. Not that it's been a soapdish, but I thought it was going to get a lot uglier.

[damonm]

27. Puh -LEEZ!

Bush-Dukakis makes this one look SQUEAKY clean. And that's just among the ones in my lifetime.
Adams-Jefferson, Lincoln-McClellan, Cleveland-Blaine, The 3-way between Q-Adams, Jackson & Clay was horrid also.
This one isn't even in the ballpark.
It isn't in the same STATE as the ballpark.

[Essene]

30. um, this is much worse than bush-dukakis was...

i dont remember anything on par with the pro-america, terrorist, antisemitic, muslim radical, anti-white, socialist, etc stuff.

scary robocalls about how obama's friends bomb the capital... which children have to hear?

[Danger Mouse]

31. McCain's 'sex ed' ad is perhaps the most offensively dishonest political ad ever.

McCain has managed to run a campaign so filthy it damn near makes 2000 and 2004 look honorable.

[Mike 03]

33. Memory lane

I was just a kid when I became a precinct captain for Mike Dukakis.

You have to realize that back then we didn't have the organization or money that we have now. But we were so desperate for something better than Reagan that we hoped Dukakis was the answer. At that time, I was so passionate for that man, I can't even tell you. I spent day after day making calls on his behalf.

But now, seeing Obama, I feel like an idiot for having been so passionate about Dukakis...lol

[davepc]

34. You know, they threw a ton of shit at Clinton...but since he won we dont count it as much

[Va Lefty]

35. "Tricky Dick" in '72

Nixon raised dirty tricks to an art form. Paraphrasing Dan Rather; he said LBJ used to pick up the phone and call you if you filed a report he disagreed with, Nixon would pick up the phone and call the IRS.

[CADEMOCRAT7]

36. McSame/Fallin' have run the dirtiest and worst campaign on so many levels.

The dirtiest, absolutely the dirtiest. What irony considering McSame said he would not do this. What hypocrisy !
For them to use the word "terrorists", post 9/11, makes this the lowest any campaign has sold their soul to go.
The strategical planning has been abominable. They have changed message how many times ? They were almost bankrupt. How many people have left this campaign ? How much drama? Fallin is now a drag on the ticket indicated by the polls. How much in fighting to a point of calling the VP Fallin' a "whack job" has there been ? I could go on and on about the dreadful mistakes this camp has made. There are so many ! What "bad" energy their campaign has. Is this a reflection of McCain and Pallin ?
The rage and anger and racism that Fallin' is fueling at her rallies, and McSame, make this by far the dirtiest. I have never in my entire life heard "traitor" "terrorist", and even worse, shouted out at their political rallies. They should be ashamed of themselves.
One word for them: Karma.

[progressiveforever]

37. McCain has been worse but remember Bush/Dukakis??

That one was dirty.

[NHDEMFORLIFE]

38. Dukakis-Bush I

I'd say Mike Dukakis got demonized on a par with what they're trying to do with Obama.