Saturday, August 23, 2008

Presidential Politics

As we get closer to the presidential election on November 4th, the campaigns will surely get uglier and meaner. Don't you wish we could go back to the good'ole days when campaigns were conducted with civility and meaningful discussions about the issues were the norm. Is 1800 far enough back for you. Thomas Jefferson vs John Adams, what a nice campaign - "hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." a reference used by Jefferson's camp about Adams. Adam's camps response was to call Jefferson "a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father." There's more, Adams was labeled a fool, a hypocrite, a criminal, and a tyrant, while Jefferson was branded a weakling, an atheist, a libertine, and a coward. Martha Washington even got in on the name calling referring to Jefferson as "one of the most detestable of mankind." Don't you miss those days, to read more about ugly presidential campaigns, including what many historians consider the nastiest contest in election history go here.
I don't think McCain has been called a pimp or Obama's wife a slut yet, but if it happens just remember they're just following in the grand tradition of American politics. Makes you proud don't it.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Martha Stewart was up in that mix? Whoa.

Mark Deal said...

What an odd typo, I've corrected it.