How nice were political campaigns in the Golden Age?

As nice as a little girl picking daisies:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD3CvxmLBf0

LBJ v Goldwater, 1964. I mention this only because the sheer nastiness of that campaign is legendary. I have no memory of the election, I was five, but I understand Fear and War were all the rage. As was LBJ's landslide. When exactly did America have that unity that people keep talking about?

{Obligatory note: Hillary found MLK and left Barry behind)

There is a joke about one old actor saying to another "You know, the Theater is not what it was,' and adding after a pause, "And what's more, it never was...." Dirty tricks, lying charges, vote stealing, all were routine and well-known to be the stuff of the competition at hand. Money corruption was as prevalent, and considerably rawer in form: it has been a while currency was actually paid out on the floor of Congress, and it is rare for a Senator or Representative's office to boast a stack of hundred dollar bills in the safe. Ages become 'golden' as their detail is forgotten under a glaze of text-books and oresent disillusion....

"Enough of this goose-cackle about progress!"

There was that talk about the politics of fear being repugnant to Democratic Party principles and I immediately thought of Barry, daisies and poisoned milk, Then I noticed your posts on the subject. Thanks again.

Interest rates were 18-21%, there were NO JOBS (not even fast food), people couldn't afford to buy a house! EVERYBODY was upset! That's why Reagan won by the landslide he did. There WAS one big difference though. We DID have an adversarial media then. As I see it, the only big advantage we have today is the internet. If something doesn't sound right when you hear it, you have the means to check on it.

I don't think there ever was "unity" in any campaign.

There was unity of the country during WWII. I was very very little then, but I remember war bonds, women going to work in the factories to make a lot of the equipment needed to support that war, and I NEVER heard anyone say "We should get out" or "What is winning"? It was a very different time and a very different cause.

Sorry. :banghead:

The great fear of men in the armed forces and workers in the defense plants was that when the war ended, they would just have the Depression back. Then Sen. Truman rose to prominence with acrimonious hearings on corruption in weapons procurement. There were major race riots. Racketeering in fuel and meat approached Prohibition levels. The first 'juvenile delinquent' novel, 'The Amboy Dukes', comes out of that period.

The ancient Athenians had their scandals. Roman politicians were notorious ballot box stuffers and votes were bought and paid for by the political parties. A fun sidelight, apparently it was election season in Pompeii when the big volcano blew. Among the election posters by groups like the plumber's guild and the painter's union was one supposedly by the "Burglars and Prostitutes of Pompeii" urging citizens to vote for one of the leading candidates--the guess is that this was put up by one of the candidate's opponents.

Adams slandered Jefferson, Jefferson slandered Adams. Lincoln was hated by many and so was FDR. Tammany Hall was corrupt as all hell but they built most of the infrastructure of New York City.

There has never been a golden age and there never will be. The best we can do is try and cut through the bullshit, reward the good guys and punish the worst offenders in whatever way we can.