Opinion

Published on Wednesday, October 15, 2008

editorial

Negative politics not the way to win election


By THE EDITORIAL BOARD

John McCain and Sarah Palin supporters have started to yell out remarks on the campaign trail directed at Sen. Barack Obama.

Words such as “terrorist” and “traitor” have been heard in the crowds.

Up until the end of last week, John McCain did nothing to curb the audience’s reactions. Finally, after a supporter was quoted as saying he was scared to raise his unborn child in a country led by President Obama, McCain responded.

“I have to tell you, he [Obama] is a decent person and a person that you do not have to be scared of as president of the United States,” McCain said.

McCain received groans and boos in return.

Obama currently leads McCain in the polls.

Both candidates have been very aggressive with their recent television advertisements and are trying to keep positive connotations tied to their names.

When this story broke last week, it was clear that Republican supporters saying things such as “Off with his head!” was not a positive association for the McCain campaign.

The last thing the McCain campaign needs at this point is negative attention. McCain now has to go on the defensive at his rallies, or supporters will continue to get rowdier and could say worse statements.

To elect McCain president, supporters must not jeopardize the campaign’s chances; this includes yelling out hateful remarks directed at another human being.

This country needs to become united again. To accomplish this, whoever wins this election will have to work diligently to put this country back on the right track.

If McCain’s supporters continue to go down this extremely negative route, he will have no chance of winning the election come November.

The race is tight, and by screaming these slogans and creating a news story, it is only hurting the campaign in the eyes of undecided voters.

Convincing the millions of undecided voters across the country to vote republican or democrat takes a certain degree of persuasion; persuasion that does not include calling the other candidate a “terrorist.”

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