In article ,
Cub Driver writes:

My bet is that we are going to see the dirtiest, nastiest
election campaign in the post-war period.

You evidently haven't followed many American elections. This one, so
far, is notable mostly for its blandness.

Actually, most of teh Presidential Campaigns of the 20th Century, and
leter, have been, on the whole, rather on the dull side. If we were
to go back to the 19th Century...
"Ma, Ma, Where's my Pa?"
"Gone to the White House! Haw! Haw! Haw!"

A Harrison campaign slogan used against Grover Cleveland, when it was
discovered that he had supported a child born out of wedlock.

It rather backfired, though. Rather than duck the issue, Clevelan
scknowledged the action, pointed out that out of the 4 or 5 likely
candidates for Paternity in this case, (Every generation thinks that
they were the ones to discover sex, or at least improve on it) he was
in the best position to provide support, and cheerfully did so.
Instead of being covered in mud, he came across as a man of honor who
was willing to deal with teh consequences of his actions.

Then there was the Douglas/Lincoln election of 1860... We all know
what a lovefest that turned out to be,

--
Pete Stickney
A strong conviction that something must be done is the parent of many
bad measures. -- Daniel Webster