Dirty political campaigns are as old as the Founding Fathers.
Thomas Jefferson and John Adams are said to have thrown the first mud at each other in the presidential election of 1800.
Jefferson accused his old pal — who was then president — of being a fool, a hypocrite, a criminal and a tyrant.
Adams returned fire, calling his vice president and challenger Jefferson “a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father.”
I don’t know what the average citizen of 1800 thought about those lies and name-calling, which have been an ugly fixture of our politics ever since.
But I do remember how California voters and the media reacted to a dirty TV ad that Pat Brown ran against my father in 1966, when Brown was running for an unprecedented third term as governor.
I don’t recall the exact words, but the ad featured Gov. Brown talking to a black child in his early teens. Brown tells the kid he’s running for governor and the kid asks whom he’s running against.
“I’m glad you asked,” Gov. Jerry Brown’s father replied. “I’m running against an actor. And did you know it was an actor that shot Abraham Lincoln?”
Few people actually saw the ad, because it only ran for a brief time on a small station in northern California. But the news media got hold of it and, though it’s hard to believe today, they were appalled that Gov. Brown would stoop so low in a campaign ad.
The voting public was equally appalled, which is equally hard to believe today. Within 72 hours Ronald Reagan went from being behind in the polls to being ahead. He won 57 percent of the vote and the rest is world history.
The scary thing is, President Obama or Mitt Romney or one of their political action committees could run a sleazy ad like Pat Brown’s today and the media wouldn’t criticize it, they would defend it.
“Well, it’s true he was an actor,” the media would rationalize. “John Wilkes Booth was an actor, too. What are you bitching about?” Voters would accept the ad, too.
That’s how much we’ve changed in less than 50 years. The slime-ball politics that used to appall everyone in the 1960s is the norm today.
We accept the negative ads, name-calling and lies as part of the way the political game is played. Then we sit back and gripe about how our politics have gone into the dumpster.
But we can’t have it both ways. It’s like going to the Indianapolis 500 hoping to see the accidents — and then complaining about the accidents. It’s like going to a cage fight — and complaining about the violence.
Today we no longer have political ads that tell the truth about a candidate or the issues. We have negative ads that spin, distort and take words out of context.
We can complain about the news media. But Fox News, MSNBC, what’s left of CNN and the others feast on dirty politics. They don’t want their banquet to end.
It’s up to us the public to clean things up. But first we have to change. The politicians are giving us exactly what we want.
If we really want more truth in politics, if we really want less negativity and fewer lies, we have to make it clear to the politicians that we no longer want to watch their grubby cage fight.
Until we do, we’ll be fed the same old dirt.
Copyright 2012 Michael Reagan. Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan, a political consultant, and the author of “The New Reagan Revolution” (St. Martin’s Press). He is the founder and chairman of The Reagan Group and president of The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Visit his website at www.reagan.com.
Arizona Willie posted at 9:05 am on Fri, Jul 20, 2012.
My ... my ... my. The Republicans are on the losing end of the ad war this election cycle so they want to complain about the ads and call for cleaning things up.
They thought the swiftboating lies were fine but when someone tells the truth about their guy they complain.
Not the Democrats fault that the Repubs are running a person who calls attention to his business acumen and then refuses to reveal his tax returns, and who lies about whether he was in control of the business that listed him as CEO and sole stockholder or not and when.
Engaged Voter posted at 1:36 pm on Fri, Jul 20, 2012.
Speaking of stooping low with respect to campaign ads:
Arguably THE most sleazy campaign ad, put out by Ronald Reagan in 1984.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_in_the_woods
"There is a bear in the woods. For some people, the bear is easy to see. Others don't see it at all. Some people say the bear is tame. Others say it's vicious and dangerous. Since no one can really be sure who's right, isn't it smart to be as strong as the bear? If there is a bear."
I guess Daddy Reagan gets a free pass, eh Michael? ;)
Engaged Voter posted at 4:19 pm on Fri, Jul 20, 2012.
Speaking of sleazy...the splash page at www.reagan.com is trying to hawk signup for an email address that ends with @reagan.com...FOR FORTY BUCKS!
And the cherry on top - Michael Reagan doesn't even USE it - he uses @caglecartoons.com.
Unintentional irony sure can be funny!
mnjcpa posted at 8:36 am on Sat, Jul 21, 2012.
As contrasted with the guy who's in office that after 4 years is still not vetted? Maybe we should actually vet Obama starting with his relationship with Frank Marshall Davis - the man he refers to in his book that was a known communist that he called his mentor.
If you really believe that a businessman like Romney is 'hiding something' while putting aside his fortune to take a political position then you're just flat naive. His experience at Bain was stellar - spoken by Clinton himself and his personal tax returns have NOTHING to do with his business acumen AZWillie. All that it would create is stupid mainstream media fodderto divert attention for what the real problem is - the economy and what a miserable failure Obama's tenure has been.
fae4now posted at 9:24 am on Sat, Jul 21, 2012.
Mnjcpa,
1) I know nothing of Frank Marshall Davis and could care less. He is not our President. Just because I may know an alcoholic doesn't make me one. Statements like the one you make are intended only to stir alarm and knee-jerk reaction. Shame on you. I thought you were better than that.
2) If you DON'T believe that Romney is hiding something, a lot of something's, then well, I'm speechless. His tax returns could speak volumes about whether on not he has truly participated in supporting his nation, his patriotism and how he might manage Americas fortunes.
3) All Romney's Bain experience tells me is that the guy knows how to line his own pockets, quite likely at the expense of many others. Hardly a quality I want to see in a president.
This guy won't even take responsibility for himself and can't decide if he was or was not responsible for the actions of his own company. Really?
chatmandu002 posted at 11:23 am on Sat, Jul 21, 2012.
I really like the campaign ad where Rep Ben Quayle says he "under estimated Obama as being the worst president ever". So true.
Now we hear that Obama has out spent Romney this last month in campaign ads. I wonder if Obama is trying to buy the election? Now we hear that Obama's billionaire friends are stepping up to the plate and giving him millions of dollars. So much for the rich being republicans only. Obama's friend Jeffery Immelt of GE has outsourced more jobs than Bain and GE paid no taxes last year.
Aren't you liberal progressives getting tired of carrying the coolaide for Obama?
mnjcpa posted at 1:40 pm on Sat, Jul 21, 2012.
Hi fae-
1. Obama speaks of Davis in his book and he was a known agitator/communist that Obama considered his mentor. Shame on me? I think it's kind of important to know how people's thinking was shaped. I say shame on the media for not vetting Obama the first time and you for considering something this important about someone's character so lightly.
2. I'm always flabbergasted at how people are buffaloed. The media has ginned up a big to do about the tax returns to take everyone's eye of Obama's failures.
So if I told you that for people like Romney the IRS is at their door each year would that make any difference to you? Because they are - people like Romney and large corporations are on a routine audit cycle by the IRS. And wouldn't it be about the dumbest person in the world to do anything shady while running for elected office? Oh that's right, we already elected someone with a shady background.
And how does Romney's tax return determine whether he's supporting his nation? Let Obama's handlers decide whether its `fair or not`? By Romneys charitable contributions - because we already know he's hands down a better contributor to charitable causes than Obama or that other great benefactor - Mr. Cheapskate Joe Biden.
Liberals are always compassionate when it comes to other people's money not their own.
3. Wow - that class warfare has really worked on you. That chip on your shoulder stands out. Used to be it was admirable when someone started from scratch, risked everything, and failures they became successful. Not in Obamanation! I guess the 70% of the businesses, employees, and investors he helped along the way mean nothing to you.
And for Romney not taking responsbility - I guess Steve Job's did the same thing when he was on medical leave from Apple and filed the same corporate records as Romney. It's a common practice in business and means nothing.
It's tragic when people buy in to this rhetoric. How anyone can look at economic conditions and believe that Obama is taking you in the right direction is beyond me.
fae4now posted at 11:19 pm on Sun, Jul 22, 2012.
Not so fast mnjcpa,
Here we go:
1) we are all shaped by a multitude of people in our lives, teachers, parents, coaches, etc. Davis was hardly the only influence in Obama's life. Why make such a big deal? I have been intrigued in the lives of my own (grown) children by the influence of 'who you DON'T want to be like' . Life for today's youth is full of landmines. They (my sons) have somehow managed to dodge quite a few of the pitfalls based on witnessing the mistakes of their peers. Wish I could take credit for just being a phenomenal parent..... Lol!
2) I can't speak for others but I don't find myself buffaloed by the media's so-called diversionary tactics. I, like you, can multi-task. An examination of Romney's tax returns will not stop anyone from judging Obama's failures, as you put it. It's not an either/or proposition - Let's do both!
3) Class warfare? Hmmmmm.. Media rubbish. Most of the warfare I witness here is bitterness from the middle class towards the poor and while they spit at each other? The wealthy laugh all the way to the bank!
Bottom line wealth, like profit at any cost, is neither impressive nor admirable to me. Pimps, theives and drug dealers may have lots of money but they are not to be admired for it. It's how/ what they did to acquire the wealth that means more to me.
People I admire most are those who seek first to elevate others without seeking rewards for themselves, like teachers for instance. They may never become wealthy but they are indeed admirable. I do not get the impression that Mitt has so honorably served others. Mitt first. If others happen to benefit along the way it is purely coincidental. It is likely that if I have a worth in the hundreds of millions, tossing a couple million to my church won't even be felt.
My understanding of Romney's history is one of being born into wealth, attending private and/or Ivy league schools - life of privilege, not one of starting from scratch!
And therein lies the problem:
If there is a chip on my shoulder it may be the sadness I feel towards seeing the opportunity for all, the thing that made America great, drying up faster than the flowers in my yard in the desert summer! Seems only the wealthy/ privileged few have a fighting chance these days.
That's not the future I envision for the nation.
mnjcpa posted at 12:43 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
Fantastic comment fae - one of the best I've read in the columns to date.
Obama himself called Davis his mentor. That to me means he shaped his thinking. You see it does matter to me ALOT if someone that was a known communist is someone that shaped the thinking of our President. The trouble is the mainstream media has done ZERO of this vetting.
I especially like your last part about the opportunities for all. The problem is that if we elect leaders that circumvent the constitution and we don't get drop dead serious at cutting the deficit I imagine your sadness will continue and mine too!
Here's what you don't understand about Romney's tax return and his wealth. First, his personal taxes has NOTHING to do with how well he performed in business. I already stated that there is ZERO possibility he's hiding anything - it would be ridiculously stupid given what I explained earlier. So even if you want to look at his `charitable` nature, that's already been announced and he outdistanced both Obama and Biden by miles. So the only thing left is to point out that he has accounts in other countries, even though it means nothing because he's taxed on his worldwide income. Further, most any portfolio that even a middle class person has in investments INCLUDES those in foreign companies. It's a common practice in financial planning to diversify.
The real power of Romney's experience is in what he did with Olympics and at Bain Capital. I'm in the financial markets and I can you that Bain's reputation is sterling. Sure he became wealthy along the way - but so did the companies his group saved, employees kept their jobs, and Bain"s investors made a good return on their investment.
All I'm saying is you're a reasonable, smart person. Would you rather have someone at the helm that has extraordinary experience turning bankrupt businesses around using his OWN money. Or would you rather have it with someone that has shown that they are clearly over the heads, with not one success to his record, whose approach is to continue to spend us in to oblivion.
mnjcpa posted at 12:47 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
Fae - he did it all with his own money - Romney revoked his family wealth. So my question is why would we care what someone does with their own money. I care what Obama does with YOUR money. A big difference.
Arizona Willie posted at 5:27 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
mnjcpa, it is entirely probably that Romney doesn't want to release his tax returns because they show he listed his occupation as CEO of Bain and show him receiving money from BAIN when he said he had nothing to do with the company.
The SEC forms already make him appear to be a liar because he is listed as CEO and sole stockholder for years when he said he had nothing to do with running the company.
If his tax returns also show that he self-declared himself to be CEO during that period his goose is cooked.
I strongly suspect that is why Romney is refusing to show his returns. He knows they contain damaging info.
Arizona Willie posted at 5:29 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
mnjcpa -- when did Romney revoke his family wealth?
When did he refuse to accept the education offered by his family?
When did he refuse financial assistance in business?
PROVE he told Daddy to stick his money where the sun don't shine.
Arizona Willie posted at 5:34 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
More Republican hypocracy.
Romney puts out an ad with a guy claiming he darn well did build his own business and it turns out he got MILLIONS in government help.
That doesn't count though ... in the Republican mind ( or what passes for a mind ).
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/star-of-romney-my-hands-didnt-build-this-ad-received-millions-in-government-loans-and-contracts/
mnjcpa posted at 6:07 pm on Mon, Jul 23, 2012.
AZWillie - to your comment at 5:27 pm 7/23.
Steve Jobs did the same thing when he took medical leave at Apple - it's a common practice in business. Obama's handlers are over-reaching nd they and everyone in the business community know it. I've already discussed the tax return issue in each of my posts. It's complete BS.
Your post of 5:29 7/23: Boy AZ Willie, you’re a buyer of that ridiculous strategy. Obama’s trying to make Romney look like a villain because he earned his money honestly. I guess when your candidate has the worst record imaginable that you’ve got to gin up something to take everyone’s attention off of your own horrible performance.
I’m wondering if you had a problem with Kennedy’s wealth – estimated at $1 billion or Kerry? I doubt it.
Like myself, Romney certainly benefitted from his family paying for his education. But his earned money pales in comparison. He worked throughout school and created Bain with his own funds, capitalized on the American Dream and the entrepreneurial philosophy to create value and jobs and make money. Romney was successful.
Get over it.
Demonizing Romney for his wealth, and even Obama’s "tax the rich" mantra are just divisive political ploys inappropriate for a leader seeking to unite
people.
And I'm sorry for you that you've bought it.
Arizona Willie posted at 4:08 pm on Tue, Jul 24, 2012.
mnjcpa ...Steve Jobs took a medical leave but anytime he chose he could call the people he put in charge and tell them to do something and it would have been done.
Romeny denies having any input into Bain during certain years but at other times he said he left Colorado to attend board meetings of Bain.
Jobs only had a leave of absence ... Romney claims to have been completely separated from Bain and no longer employed in any capacity ... which is why the SEC forms that list him as CEO and sole stockholder make him appear to be a liar.
And, if he reveals his taxes for those years and they show he said he was CEO of BAIN and / or if he received income from Bain then it proves he wasn't telling the truth.
< SHOCK >
You claim he created Bain with his own money --- where did he get that money?
When did he EVER work for a paycheck?
He got the money from Daddy. Of course, once Daddy gave him the money he can legally claim it was his own money. But it wasn't money he got from working for some company.
He had millions of dollars in trust funds the day he was born.
I suppose you call that using his own money.
Most people don't see it that way.
That's inherited money.
I have no problem with him getting richer ... I have a problem with the way he did it by busting up viable companies and selling the parts and sometimes putting them in bankruptcy and offshoring jobs.
There is a vast difference between Kennedy and Romney.
Kennedy devoted his life to public service and held multiple elected offices on his way to the Presidency.
Romney devoted his life to busting up companies and putting people out of work in order to make more money and only lately wants to be President as an ego trip.
Romney says he's gonna do this and that but he has no specific plan(s).
The Republicans howl about Dems passing legislation and saying ' we have to pass it to see what's in it ' but that is the exact position Romney is selling. He wants us to elect him before he will tell us how he plans to do any of the things he says he will do.
mnjcpa posted at 4:57 pm on Tue, Jul 24, 2012.
Wow....you're as significantly out of touch with business and free enterprise as anyone I've come across.
Private equity groups are some of the best vehicles to promote and grow free enterprise. Your own guy Clinton said Romney's record was sterling. Romney's success record with Bain was over 70%. That's how it works in private enterprise - some things should be saved and others not. What is Obama's success record? I say 0.
Oh, but wait a minute. You're the guy that `retired` in your early 50's and are a recipient of one of those giant out-of-touch union pensions that are bankrupting many cities and states. So it's not surprising then that you would share Obama's hostility towards the American dream and agenda. He let the cat out of the bag last week, and showed us exactly how he feels about American businesses.
And I doubt there's a business owner out there that would agree with him.
fae4now posted at 9:48 am on Wed, Jul 25, 2012.
My apologies for my absence here mnjcpa. In addition to working, the past few days have included for me a fallen tree from our recent storm, sprung a leak in an upstairs bath that flooded and made it 'rain' downstairs, and now my car is acting up. Sheesh!
I've missed much but will try to catch up.
Thanks, Willie, for carrying on the thread. All voices (well, most) are welcome.
So, mnj, Willie raises some good points.
Clearly Mitt did not start Bain with tips earned while waiting tables at the Waffle House.
And more to the point what about the guy who does wait tables while attending public schools? What chance does he have to be successful in todays America? Or do only the wealthy have a shot?
Mom and Pop entrepreneurs don't stand much of a chance against mega-corps these days so the window of opportunity is closing on the American Dream. That's my complaint.
You complain often that the media did not properly vett Obama yet you resent their attempts to do so with Romney. Shall we elect him and wait a few years before finding something we overlooked so we can look back over our shoulders and complain again that Romney was not properly vetted?
Just a few years back Mitt provided many years worth (did I hear 23?) of tax returns while being vetted by McCain for VP. Why is he unwilling to do so again? This lack of transparency bothers me and makes me tend to agree with Willie, that he's hiding something.
And the 'was he or wasn't he' in charge of Bain bothers me too. Too often these days we see captains of corporate ships failing to take responsibility. Who was the CEO recently whose company misplaced billions and all he could say was " I don't know where it is"? Or a few years back when lead paint was found in kids toys and the CEOs all said they "didn't know". Or the finger pointing over the BP oil spill...NOT ACCEPTABLE! They darned well get paid to know, to be accountable and to take responsibility. I cannot endorse this in a presidential candidate.
One other curiosity - you defend Mitt for his wealth and success but often blast common folks who have earned pensions and/or the ability to retire in their 50s. What gives? Is this some other form of middle class vs. middle class warfare? I don't get it.
mnjcpa posted at 8:34 am on Thu, Jul 26, 2012.
You're both smart and curious fae4now. You sincerely want to know where someone's ideas are coming from. Thanks for the questions.
I am that guy that waited tables and went through public schools. But I also knew the path to success was to work hard and get a good education. Every person in America has that same choice but most choose not to take it. Every other entrepreneur I know has worked their tail off to achieve the American Dream and we shouldn’t have to apologize, be penalized, or chastised for that success.
Mom and pop’s still do have a shot at the American Dream – but NOT with a radical liberal in office. Regulations make it so difficult for a small business owner to operate that it becomes cost prohibitive to take the risk.
I don’t resent honest attempts at vetting, but the problem is an ideology difference not Mitt’s transparency. I’m a lot more concerned about someone whose thinking was shaped by radicals and communists than Mitt’s tax returns because I understand how the audit of high net worth taxpayers work.
I wouldn’t give them out if I were Mitt. All it would do is give the media fodder about `fairness` which has nothing to do with legal vs. illegal. If he was doing anything inappropriate, the IRS would have already caught it. Please open your eyes and don’t believe everything those people that try to pass themselves as journalists tell you. It’s a smokescreen.
This CEO of Bain is another thing that unless you’ve worked in business, then you don’t understand. I work with two CEO’s of large businesses right now that are both off on personal ventures that still sign the corporate paperwork and have nothing to do with the daily business decisions. He couldn't have possibly run both the turnaround of the Olympics and made business decisions at Bain. And my question is if the media is obsessed whether Romney outsourced jobs, why we don’t hear about how stimulus was used and outsourced thousands of jobs because there were.
And finally my favorite topic – union pensions. Here’s why I have a problem with them. They are completely out of line between what someone risks and what they get in return. If someone puts in time at a labor union job – yes they’ve worked. But does that make it okay for them to retire in their early 50’s with pensions worth MILLIONS when they’ve RISKED nothing? Absolutely not. Their retirement should be based on an equivalent pension to private sector employees. It’s why the jobs go overseas and right to work states. When your taxes were used to bailout GM, do you realize that what it actually did was to make sure these windfall pensions were paid? Probably not, because Big Labor is Obama's bread and butter.
Risk is the operative word Fae. These windfall pensions create unrealistic benefits for people that have risked nothing.
CooperG posted at 7:04 am on Sat, Aug 4, 2012.
Pot, meet kettle.
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