Negative Campaigning

Lugar's Loss: America's Wake-Up Call

Paul Helmke | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Gop, Congress, U.S. Senate, Bi-Partisanship, Ronald Reagan, Negative Attacks, Negative Campaigning, Campaign Ads, Elections 2012, Richard Mourdock, Republican Primary, Democrats, Attack Ads, Obama Campaign, Richard Lugar, Politics News

Sen. Richard Lugar's loss in the Indiana Republican primary last week raises a number of troubling issues about the current state of politics and the future of governance in our country.

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Campaign Negativity Is Nothing New

Chris Weigant | Posted 04.23.2012

Read More: Negative Campaigning, Campaign Ads, Mitt Romney, Super PACs, Citizens United, Barack Obama, Negative Ads, Campaign Attack Ads, Campaign Negativity, Negative Campaign Ads, Attack Ads, Politics News

While they may have a point about the magnitude of cash flowing into negative ads this time around, and while they may indeed have a point about the insidiousness of corporate money in American political campaigns, the nastiness itself is really nothing new.

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Time for the Final (Etch-A) Sketch

Abby Huntsman | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Policy Agenda, Polls, Campaigning, Mitt Romney 2012, Negative Campaigning, Ppaca, Electorate, Barack Obama 2012, Politics News

For instance, yesterday I found that when you type "Romney" as a search term on Google, one of the first auto-complete suggestions is "Romney attacking President." Could a consistently negative tone be part of his messaging problem?

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Fostering Political Hate: It's a MAD World Out There

Terry Newell | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: Government, Presidential Campaign, Civility, Negative Campaigning, Campaign Ads, Politics News

During the Cold War, we coined the phrase Mutually Assured Destruction. Campaign politics is an equally MAD world, but its effects are not hypothetical, and mutual deterrence is not working.

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It's About That Time

Brett C. Di Resta | Posted 04.01.2012

Read More: Opposition Research, Elections 2012, Campaigns, Rock Center, Political Research, Negative Campaigning, Politics News

Sensationalizing opposition research may make for good television. But gathering facts, unearthing the truth, revealing sins of omission and countering false information makes for good, honest campaigns.

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The Obama Campaign Would Like To Remind Supporters That Mitt Romney Is Terrifying!

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 03.29.2012

Read More: 2012 Speculatron, Obama Negative Campaigning, 2012 Election, Mitt Romney 2012, Negative Campaigning, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, Media Criticism, Barack Obama 2012, Barack Obama, 2012, Politics News

Over at Buzzfeed, Zeke Miller has a great post up about what's currently worrying the Obama campaign. As it turns out, it's insufficient worry. See...

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The Future of American Politics

Michael J. O'Neil | Posted 05.28.2012

Read More: Republican Primary, Michigan Primary 2012, Negative Attacks, Negative Campaigning, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Arizona Primary 2012, Money in Politics, Negative Ads, Presidential Election, Newt Gingrich, Wisconsin Primary, Citizens United, Barack Obama, Politics News

The 2012 campaign for the Republican nomination for president has provided a clear indication of the shape of post-Citizens United politics in America.

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CAT FIGHT: 'Hank For Senate' Dogged By Attack Ad

HuffingtonPost.com | Hilary Tuttle | Posted 03.02.2012

Read More: Virginia, Video, Grassroots Activism, Virginia Senate 2012, Hank for Senate Attack, 2012 Election, Negative Campaigning, Campaign Ads, Elections 2012, Cat Senate Campaign, Hank for Senate, Cat for Senate, 2012 Senate Elections, Cat Senate, Hank for Senate Attack Ad, Animals in the News, Attack Ads, Weird News News

A humble house cat's bid for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) caught fire this week, drawing messages of praise from Russia an...

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WATCH: GOP Candidates Promised To Avoid Negative Campaigning Ha Ha They Were Just Kidding, Sorry!

HuffingtonPost.com | Jason Linkins | Posted 03.02.2012

Read More: 2012 Speculatron, Ron Paul, Negative Campaigning, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Elections 2012, 2012, Mashups, Video, Newt Gingrich 2012, 2012 Election, Mitt Romney 2012, Ron Paul 2012, Rick Santorum 2012, Newt Gingrich, 2012 Campaign Ads, Politics News

So this week, if you spent any time reading about the primary election process that will eventually (we think!) yield a Republican nominee for preside...

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The Only Thing We Have to Fear

Conor Grennan | Posted 03.13.2012

Read More: Politics, Primary, Inspiration, Motivation, Politics Fear, Negative Advertising Politics, Romney Iowa Margin, Negative Campaigning, General Election Negativity, GOP Primaries, Negativity Campaigning, Politics News

Candidates are not going to inspire us because there's simply no incentive to inspire us. The nature of the game is to get us to the polling station. If the best way to do that is fear tactics, then that's their motivating technique.

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Political Vitriol and Its Consequences for Democracy

Geoffrey R. Stone | Posted 02.28.2012

Read More: Elections 2012, Barack Obama, 2012 Election, Negative Attacks, Negative Campaigning, Politics News

The tenor and tone of certain factions' assault on the president of the United States should disturb all Americans. It is, to say the least, unseemly. Of course, we cherish the right to free speech. But having the right to do something does not mean one should actually do it.

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A Pledge Political Candidates Should Sign

Judge H. Lee Sarokin | Posted 11.23.2011

Read More: Political Debates, Norquist No-Tax Pledge, Negative Campaigning, Political Pledges, Politics News

Candidates should pledge and agree not to mention or refer directly or indirectly to their opponents during the course of the campaign for the presidency.

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Is Mail Balloting A Mistake? Are We Missing Critical Information

Aaron Harber | Posted 09.04.2011

Read More: Negative Ads, Aaron Harber, The Aaron Harber Show, Negative Attacks, Michael Hancock, Negative Campaigning, Politics News

One argument against mail balloting is the vast majority of voters cast their ballots prior to Election Day and, therefore, they miss the opportunity to change their minds

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Hancock Wants To ‘Clear The Air’

The Huffington Post | Matt Ferner | Posted 07.24.2011

Read More: Hancock vs Romer, Denver News, Denver Mayoral Runoff 2011, Negative Campaigning, Denver Mayoral Runoff, Michael Hancock Website, Hancock Romer, Negative Attack Ads, Attack Ads, Denver News

A new page has appeared on Denver mayoral run-off candidate Michael Hancock’s campaign website - it’s called “Clear The Air” and it’s aimed ...

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Political Campaigns -- It's Time for a Change

Ed Gurowitz, Ph.D. | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Positive Psychology, Campaigning, Fearmongering, Fear, Midterm Elections, Negative Attacks, Negative Campaigning, 2008 Campaign, Attack Ads, Politics News

We have a short breather until the run-up to the next elections in 2012. Let's demand that our politicians run on the issues.

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Poppy Day

Sally Thorner | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Vancouver, Poppy, Election Day, Canada, Negative Campaigning, Veterans Day, Politics News

This was supposed to be a post about Election Day from the sidelines. My first since 1978 neither voting nor reporting the results. We are in Vancou...

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Tancredo, Buck and Fallon for This Colorado Independent

Craig Alan Silverman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: 2010 Midterm Elections, Colorado Elections 2010, Colorado Senate Race, Tom Tancredo, Negative Campaigning, Elections 2010, Ken Buck, Denver News

I am voting for Tancredo and Buck. It is kind of shocking for me to write, let alone do. The vast majority of my votes through the years have been for Democrats. I voted for Obama in 2008.

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Gross. I Turned Into Everything I'm Against.

Jamie Frevele | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Politics, Rally to Restore Sanity, Adult Swim, Humor, Bullying, Negative Campaigning, Lauren Valle, Lewis Black, Tea Party, Keith Olbermann, Comedy News

How the hell did I do that? Here's how: I've lost my sense of humor when it comes to politics. I've been mocking Tea Party people for taking themselve...

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The Grinch Who Steals Our Elections

Gautam Dutta | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Jeff Miller, Arnold Schwarzenegger, California, Justin Blake, Mike Duvall Affair, Roy Wilson, Negative Campaigning, Bill Emmerson, Instant Runoff Voting, Los Angeles City Council, The Oscars, Mike Duvall, Barack Obama, Hawaii Special Election, California Special Election, John Benoit, Paul Krekorian, California Deficit, Ted Lieu, California State Senate, California Budget Crisis, John McCain, Chris Norby, Tom Campbell, Los Angeles News

Between resignations and politicians' office-hopping, special elections cannot be avoided. Fortunately, there's a proven way to rescue hapless voters and taxpayers -- Instant Runoff Voting.

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GOP Cites Huge Cost of Negative Health Care Advertising

Andy Borowitz | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Negative Campaigning, Judicial Nominations, Guantanamo Detainees, Health Care Reform, Michael Steele, Gop, Neverland Ranch, Barack Obama, Satire, Comedy News

A top Republican Party official said today that President Obama's health care plan would be ruinous to the U.S. economy because of the ballooning cost of negative advertising required to lie about it.

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McCain Campaign Going Double Negative

Steve Young | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Presidential Debates, Barack Obama, Negative Campaigning, John CMcClain, Media News

McCain spokesman, Tucker Bounds defended that their double negative campaign sets new lows in political and/or/without grammatical attacks.

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Gutless Americans: Religion-Baiting Ascendant Heading into Election Day

Evan Derkacz | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Arabs, Election Reaction, Cynicism, Elizabeth Dole, Faithful America, Virgil Goode, Tom Periello, Negative Campaigning, Al Jazeera, Kay Hagan, Nrcc, Torture, Republicans, Home News

The following originally appeared on Religion Dispatches which is honoring Election Day with short posts from numerous contributors. *** The proble...

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The Dirtiest, Most Reprehensible Ads Of The Cycle (VIDEO)

HuffingtonPost.com | Sam Stein | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Dirty Ads, Local Ads, Dole Ads, Negative Campaigning, Campaign Ads, Dirty Campaign, Nasty Ad, Memorable Ads, Ad Campaigns, Coleman Ads, 3 AM, Robocalls, Floating Cross, Presidential Ads, Video, Politics News

It is tradition in every campaign for each side to denounce the other as having run the sleaziest race in modern political history. And certainly it s...

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If Only Obama Agreed To McCain's "Town Hall" Meetings

Joseph A. Palermo | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Joe the Plumber, John McCain Attack Ads, Negative Ads, Sarah Palin, Barack Obama, Negative Attacks, Negative Campaigning, Politics News

McCain sticks to his absurd story that it was Obama who forced him to embark on one of the most fiercely negative campaigns in history.

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Why Won't Palin Ask Obama Why He Hates Everything That's Good and Loves Everything That's Bad?

David Quigg | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Politics, Philosophy, Liberty, John McCain, Jon Stewart, Smears, Negative Campaigning, Sarah Palin, Fox News, Drudge Report, Election 2008, Constitution, Barack Obama, Politics News

While he's at it, Obama should stop using the word "constitution" because a few people might think he means "prostitution" or "constipation."

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