Negative Campaigning
Some felt that Bill Clinton’s comments about Obama, emphasizing his race and likening his South Carolina victory to that of Jesse Jackson (who won the state in the 1984 and 1988 presidential primaries), were below the belt. Many who’d thought that the Clinton administration had done much to advance equality for African Americans felt let down that he would purposefully allude to race, well, in the race.
Meanwhile, Obama has sought to downplay his racial background, claiming to be a uniter among all people, not a divisive force. Earlier this month, both the Clinton and Obama camps decided to pull negative radio ads after receiving complaints about negative campaigning. Clinton’s ad referenced comments made by Obama, and tried to make it seem like the Illinois senator was in favor of Reagan-era politics. In return, the Obama campaign pulled an ad that stated, “Hillary Clinton – she’ll say anything and change nothing.” Both campaigns agreed to withdraw the ads.
Indeed, Bill Clinton is said to have received pressure by the Democratic National Party, and from none other than Jesse Jackson himself, to “take a higher road,” and not create racial tensions within the party itself. The Republicans have not been faring much better in the negativity wars. Tensions have risen between frontrunners Mitt Romney and John McCain, as they accuse each other of being “the liberal candidate.”
Romney leveled the accusation at McCain first, saying that McCain had sided with liberal Democrats in the Senate on issues such as immigration and the environment. “If you want that kind of a liberal Democratic course as President, then you can vote for him,” said Romney. McCain countered that Romney’s record as governor of Massachusetts was a mess of flip-flopping. “He has been entirely consistent. He has consistently taken two sides of every major issue, sometimes more than two. So congratulations,” sniped McCain. Read the rest of this entry »
