Political mudslinging is negative campaigning that directly or indirectly accuses candidates of wrongdoing or poor judgment and has been around as long as there has been politics. Mudslinging implies throwing mud at each other, and it is aptly named for the political tool of negative or smear campaigning.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
One of the first examples of political mudslinging during a U.S. presidential election is in 1796 when Alexander Hamilton accused Thomas Jefferson of sleeping with one of his slaves. And so began the dirty game of mudslinging that has set the tone for much of American political history. Considered to be one of the dirtiest U.S. political campaigns in history, the 1828 U.S. presidential election saw incumbent President John Quincy Adams' supporters calling Andrew Jackson's mother a prostitute, his wife a whore and Jackson a murderer and a cannibal. Jackson, whose wife died of a heart attack suspected to have been caused by the stress of the mudslinging accusations, became president.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
As public figures, politicians are still subject to libel laws, meaning that if something is said about someone, is has to be true and proved by fact. Mudslinging gets around this by implying things rather than directly saying them. In the 1988 U.S. presidential election, Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis was destroyed by Vice-President George Bush in a vicious ad questioning Governor Dukakis' ability to lead the armed forces of the United States. The ad showed Governor Dukakis joyriding in a tank while words of Dukakis rejecting military policy rolled across the screen. This ad, which made Dukakis appear weak, was based on another ad which successfully showed Margaret Thatcher, the future prime minister of Great Britain in a similar situation.
A second ad, known as the 'Revolving Door' ad, condemned Dukakis on the Massachusetts furlough program that allowed weekend passes even for convicted murders. The ad stated that some convicts escaped while on furlough, while others committed additional crimes, and it was implied that Dukakis' action directly resulted in these crimes. Bush easily won the presidential election of 1988.
Political figures, who receive public money to perform work for society, become subjects of public scrutiny. As such, politicians have less room for libel cases than the general public.
 |
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Mudslinging can sometimes backfire. The mood of the general public can change quickly. In the case of the United States and many other nations, a sense of fair play sometimes allows the attacked candidate to use the mudslinging to his or her advantage. In the 2008 North Carolina senate race, Republican incumbent Elizabeth Dole's ad implied Democratic challenger Kay Hagan was godless. At the end of the ad, an image of Hagan appeared and a voice said, 'There is no god.' While Hagan was also accused of mudslinging, North Carolina voters did not appreciate the godless ad and chose Hagan over Dole in the election.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Mudslinging has been a staple of American politics since the inception of the United States. This negative or smear campaigning can involve direct or implied accusations of a political opponent and has been used across all forms of media to include print, radio and television. Because these individuals have placed themselves in the public eye, it is more difficult to find libel in political mudslinging than for the general public. Although the purpose of mudslinging is to make your opponent look bad, sometimes mudslinging can go too far and have the opposite intended effect and end up destroying a candidate's credibility.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Already a member? Log In
Back
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
