The gloves have come off on the campaign trail in recent weeks, with President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney making increasingly personal attacks in their advertisements and from the stump including many of dubious validity.
Two ads have stood out. One, by the pro-Obama super PAC Priorities USA, blames Romney for the death of an uninsured Missouri woman who succumbed to cancer after her husband's employer, GST Steel, went bankrupt following a deal with Bain Capital, Romney's private equity firm.
The woman, it turns out, had insurance through her employer for some time after the GST Steel plant closed, and the company's demise was due to a variety of factors unrelated to the deal with Bain.
Romney's campaign made its own misleading attack with an ad accusing Obama of "a plan to gut welfare reform by dropping work requirements."
The ad references the Obama administration's decision to allow states to seek federal waivers from the 1996 welfare reform law. But states must devise a "more efficient or effective means to promote employment" among welfare recipients that includes quantifiable benchmarks _ or they lose the waiver.
Former GOP House committee adviser Ron Haskins, who had a hand in crafting the 1996 welfare reform bill, said the attacks on the plan are "very misleading," and Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, a Republican who supports Romney, defended the plan in July.
But while it's important for the news media to bat down dishonest arguments, one shouldn't fall for the selective outrage emanating from both campaigns as they accuse each other of "dirty politics." Romney in an interview this week sought to frame the entire campaign by drawing boundaries around those aspects of his record he deems acceptable as campaign fodder.
"Our campaign would be helped immensely if we had an agreement between both campaigns that we were only going to talk about issues and (not) attacks based upon -- business or family or taxes or things of that nature," Romney said to NBC's Chuck Todd.
As a presidential candidate, Romney is essentially a job applicant, and to suggest that his prior employment is off-limits for an electorate still unsure of whether it should hire him is downright laughable.
Romney on his own can defend his record as head of Bain Capital and as a taxpayer; it isn't the responsibility of Romney's opponent or the media to shield him from such scrutiny.
Politics has always been a fencing match of sorts, where cogent attacks find purchase and weaker arguments are parried aside. It isn't the referee's place to step in every time a competitor makes ad hoc pronouncements about what constitutes sportsmanship.
Editorials
Lies aren't the same as dirty politics
- Editorials
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Edmond Marchi deserves blessing, not curses
It has been anything but a smooth ride for Edmond Marchi, who resigned last week as administrator of Otsego Manor, the county's nursing home, and the end of the ride hasn't exactly been easy, either.
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In our opinion: Cheers
To Cherry Valley Fire Department, Lucy Ford and Jason's Run.
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We still must sing out against prejudice
It is easy for Americans to congratulate ourselves over how far we have come since the Jim Crow days of segregation and other examples of racial and religious prejudice.
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Fathers give roots to families
THIS EDITORIAL first ran in The Daily Star in 2001. It runs again this year in tribute to all dads for Father's Day.
Continued ... - A grand old flag, indeed
- Thursday, June 13, 2013
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DOT needs to fix Chobani traffic woes
"Growing pains" have been invoked with regard to Chobani several times. The company is a dynamic example of the fact that, as positive and desirable as rapid growth may be for a business, it can carry with it unanticipated challenges.
Continued ... - Wednesday, June 12, 2013
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Equality Act about more than abortion
Could it have been 50 long years ago Monday when President John F. Kennedy uttered these words?
Continued ... - Tuesday, June 11, 2013
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In our Opinion: Cheers
Cheers to Girls on the Run, Sherburne Pageant of Bands and Cancer Survivors' Day.
Continued ... - Monday, June 10, 2013
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Severe weather deserves respect
The phrase "storm chaser" conjured up an image familiar to us from television and the Internet. Picture a wobbly video, punctuated by the excited shouts of the person behind the camera as he tries to capture a grainy image of a far-off funnel cloud.
Continued ... - Saturday, June 8, 2013
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Raising smoking age is a good idea
When it comes to government officials promoting public health, voters have always preferred a subtle nudge to a heavy hand. Just ask New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose hamfisted attempt to ban large sodas was shot down in March amid widespread jeers.
Continued ... - Friday, June 7, 2013
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DNA swabbing benefits outweigh concerns
According to a Supreme Court ruling Monday, yesterday's fingerprinting is today's Q-Tip inside a suspect's mouth.
Continued ... - Thursday, June 6, 2013
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D-Day lessons still strong today
This editorial first appeared two years ago on the 67th anniversary of D-Day. We present it again with minor changes to honor those Americans who fought and died in the Normandy invasion.
Continued ... - Wednesday, June 5, 2013
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It will take courage to get rid of Silver
The concept goes back at least to the early 16th century, and probably much before Niccolò Machiavelli wrote in "The Prince" about plotting against someone who holds power.
Continued ... - Tuesday, June 4, 2013
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In our Opinion: Cheers
To the General Clinton Canoe Regatta, the Wall that Heals, and a fire safety demonstration for OHS seniors.
Continued ... - Monday, June 3, 2013
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Tax-Free NY offers great potential
We often hear that New York state has some of the highest taxes on businesses in the country. So an opportunity for select businesses to operate totally tax-free sounds almost too good to be true.
Continued ... - Saturday, June 1, 2013
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Secure Rx forms could help fight abuse
The recent disappearance of about 800 blank prescription pads from Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown raises a couple of troubling issues.
Continued ... - Friday, May 31, 2013
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Why not expand Hall Classic a day?
Given the professionalism and competence evident over the years at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, we were impressed, but not the least bit surprised, Saturday when as Jeff Idelson said: "The weather gave us lemons, but I think we were able to turn it into lemonade."
Continued ... - Thursday, May 30, 2013
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Adding vocabulary to the bee spells success
If a young person has his or her eyes on winning the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., near Washington, D.C., it's no longer enough to know how to spell a lot of really difficult words.
Continued ... - Wednesday, May 29, 2013
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Boy Scouts are now more 'morally straight'
This is what the Boy Scouts of America organization calls its "Oath (or Promise)":
Continued ... - Tuesday, May 28, 2013
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In Our Opinion: Cheers
To Marie Bruni, Maj. Kevin Molinari, and a $10,000 donation to Cooperstown Central School.
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Edmond Marchi deserves blessing, not curses



