Not a Big Truck

Over the years, and particularly during the 2000 and 2004 election seasons that featured Karl Rove at the helm of the GOP nuclear campaign submarine, I have had many discussions with friends about the nastiness of political campaigning.  Often, these conversations have concluded with some variation on the theme, “Sure, the Republicans are experts at mudslinging and dirty tricks, but the Democrats do their share of that stuff too.”

I guess that is probably true, especially if you take a step back and look at the broader sweep of history, not just a few elections.  But in recent years, and in this election, I think the Republicans really are worse.  Dishonest.  Shameless.  Relentless.

The McCain camp has made a big deal of Michelle Obama’s “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country” comment, and in recent weeks of Barack Obama’s remark that for the McCain-Palin ticket to claim the mantle of change is like putting “lipstick on a pig.”  Any reasonable observer will acknowledge that Obama was not calling Sarah Palin a pig, but rather saying that the policies of McCain (and by extension Palin) are the pig that cannot be dressed up to masquerade as change.  But the Republicans will not shut up about it.

On the other hand, Meghan McCain went on the Today Show and said, “No one knows what war is like other than my family, period!”

I don’t need to harp about how awful that is.  But what has the Obama campaign’s response been, as far as I know?  To their immense credit: nothing.  They are not trying to make an issue out of what a member of McCain’s family said.  Meghan McCain isn’t on the ticket.  The Obama campaign wants to have a discussion about the issues and not about the silly, thoughtless, ultimately insignificant remarks that are inevitably made by people on both sides.  Maybe that’s “soft,” but it makes me proud to be affiliated with the Democrats and not with the GOP of Rove, Atwater, and their disciples.