Has it always been the case that winning politics hinges on mudslinging and scandal?
The Connecticut Courant warned that if Thomas Jefferson were elected, "murder, robbery, rape, adultery and incest will be openly taught and practiced." Federalist campaign literature described Jefferson as "a mean spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father...raised wholly on hoe-cake made of coarse-ground Southern corn, bacon and hominy, with an occasional...fricasseed bull-frog."
We had a milkman. My mother stopped using the milk delivery service when they abandoned glass bottles. We also had an egg lady.
I get farm eggs delivered to my door every weekend. I love it.
"a mean spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father...raised wholly on hoe-cake made of coarse-ground Southern corn, bacon and hominy, with an occasional...fricasseed bull-frog."
I think that qualifies as mud-slinging, yeah.
I don't recall where I saw or heard it, but there was a fabulous piece (pieces?) on the down and dirty campaigning pre-radio and tv. It was fabulously creative, slanderific and crude as is evidenced above.
I'd hate to see what woud happen if anyone ran against msbelle for the title of The Nicest.
He's like, "I did something stupid. I'm sorry. But it was one stupid thing against my whole record. Really, I was stupid. And I'm sorry. Vote for me!"
That's kind of great, actually.
That's kind of great, actually.
Yeah, I thought so. When do you ever hear anyone say "I was stupid"?!? It was no "mistakes were made." He was just flat out there.
Has it always been the case that winning politics hinges on mudslinging and scandal?
Well, there used to be duels involved, too.
I honestly think the Democrats (generally) weather these scandals better because they don't set themselves up as paragons of virture.
I've just put a ginormous pot of vegetable soup on the stove. Now we just have to let it cook for a few hours.
Barak Obama admits to cocaine and marajuana use in his book, probably as a way of immunizing himself against future attacks.
This, on the other hand, is just plain depressing:
There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study.
Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries, and the rate of decline is accelerating.
