Was this Campaign Season the Nastiest Ever?

Candidate x is a flip-flopping, war-mongering, power-hungry liar. Candidate y is an entitled elitest with no work ethic, and also a liar. That's what this year's attack ads would lead us to believe.

But was this campaign season exceptionally nasty?

Reason TV presents a look back at the campaign ads of yesteryear. 

The story was originally published on October 28, 2010. The original text is below:

Have this year's negative political ads really "taken dirty to a whole new level, as CNN's Anderson Cooper frets? Is a "return to civility…a relic of a bygone era," as President Barack Obama laments?

Er, not exactly. 

If anonymous political speech, the other widely decried villain of this political season, helped found the United States, attack ads are as American as apple pie. If you fancy yourself a patriot or a history buff, you will most certainly approve this message, which is taken from statements made by, for, and against the nation's founders.

Approximately 1.45 minutes. Written and produced by Meredith Bragg. Voiced by Caleb Brown, Michael C. Moynihan, and Austin Bragg.

Check out "The Positives of Negative Campaigning," why "Attack Ads Are Good For You." and Reason's 2006 list of the "Top 10 Dirtiest Political Campaigns" in U.S. history.

For links to those stories and historical sources of the statements made in the video go to 
http://reason.tv/video/show/the-negat…