Over-the-top rhetoric takes over presidential campaign

(CBS News) After three days of talk of a "serious" presidential campaign in the wake of Mitt Romney's decision to select Paul Ryan as his running mate, the campaign has reverted to form: idiotic, desperate and disgraceful.

FYI, those aren't our words. They're terms being thrown around by the campaigns and their surrogates this week, which seemed determined to drag the presidential debate into the gutter -- or bring it to a "new low," as Romney's press secretary said of President Obama's campaign in a relatively restrained comment Wednesday. They've come in the wake of Vice President Joe Biden's comment to a racially diverse audience that Republicans are "going to put y'all back in chains" - which was taken by Republicans as a suggestion that the GOP wanted to enslave the audience. (Democrats said the comments were simply a reference to Republican comments concerning regulations that "shackle" small businesses. Biden suggested he meant to reference shackles, not chains.)

Below, five of the nastiest comments - and the dictionary definitions of the terms being used, courtesy of Merriam-Webster. Not every harsh comment this week is below - we're skipping Mr. Obama's reference to Romney strapping his dog to the roof of his car and RNC chair Reince Priebus' reference to Mr. Obama eating dog as a boy in Indonesia. But it'll certainly give you an idea of the current level of political discourse.

--

Obama's campaign and surrogates "have made wild and reckless accusations that disgrace the office of the Presidency. Another outrageous charge came a few hours ago in Virginia. And the White House sinks a little bit lower. This is what an angry and desperate Presidency looks like."
-- Mitt Romney

disgrace: "To be a source of shame to"

desperate: "giving no ground for hope"

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"Gov. Romney's comments tonight seemed unhinged and particularly strange coming at a time when he's pouring tens of millions of dollars into negative ads that are demonstrably false." -- Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt

unhinged: "mentally deranged"

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Joe Biden is an "idiot." - Meghan McCain

Idiot: "usually offensive : a person affected with extreme mental retardation"

(Bonus comment from Rudy Giuliani: "I mean, there's a real fear if, God forbid, he ever had to be entrusted with the presidency, whether he really has the mental capacity to handle it. This guy just isn't bright. He's never been bright. He isn't bright. And people think, well, he just talks a little bit too much. Actually, he's just not very smart.")

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"So, Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago." - Mitt Romney

hate: "intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury"

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"Because of President Obama's failed record on nearly every issue from the economy to the deficit to Medicare, the Obama campaign has become increasingly dirty, despicable, and desperate. Their latest lies on Medicare are no exception." - Reince Priebus

dirty: "not clean or pure"/"morally unclean or corrupt"

despicable: " deserving to be despised : so worthless or obnoxious as to rouse moral indignation"

--

That's all we've got for now from this week. But hey, it's only Wednesday.

[obgyn33]

Shame on you CBS. I have always been a loyal viewer and believed CBS stood out above the rest. CBS allowed Norah O'Donnell to deceive viewers by reporting on the campaign and President Obama when she is clearly biased because her husband Dan Senor, works for Romney and Ryan's campaign. Each time she talks about or scrutinize the campaign CBS should disclose to the viewers her very close relationship with the Romney Campaign. I don't expect O'Donnell to be honest, I expected CBS to be. Shame on you CBS, I am truly disappointed.

[marychgo]

"Division and anger and hate," Mitt? Seriously?

The latest Bain ad may be a bit over the top, but Biden's comment was perfectly sound: if the American people are dumb enough to elect you and you "unchain" the banks to operate any way they want, people of ALL races who are unfortunate enough to have mortgages or student loans or credit cards will certainly be back "in chains."

Meanwhile, what have YOU been doing? LYING about welfare, LYING about Ohio early voting, and LYING about that $716 billion. Don't those LIES qualify as "division and anger and hate"?

[sjc_1]

The Democrats have been the nice guys for many election cycles, trying to remain civilized while the Republicans threw mud and use people like Rush to run the flame throwers.

Enough! From here on out we fight hard and take no prisoners. There are more of us than there are of you, if you want a fight you will have one and you will lose.

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

Hear! Hear! : )

OBAMA/BIDEN 2012

[JV1970]

Careful! There's a reason that they say that people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The stones will be thrown right back at them! The Republicans are very capable of throwing the stones right back when they're attacked!

[alanrobisch]

brian I know the English language thankyou and your comments strike me as condescending. Seems that the tone of the president's campaign has been to create an entirely negative image of Romney and there has been blow back. Most people use the terms you describe without their true meaning see Unique as an example.

Maybe you should have mentionned the ad by agenda project showing Ryan pushing an elderly woman off the cliff. Or the commercial inferring Romney was the cause of a woman's death or the attacks saying Romney like's to fire people which was not even close to what he was saying.

Obama has decided a slash and burn campaign is the only way to get out the non voters Hopefully this fails.

[nearl451]

Since no one had implied that Romney had killed the woman....only that the husband losing his job made it tough to get healthcare (and no venture capitalists don't give a crap about people they displace), you are using the proper term, but in the wrong sense.

You inferred that the commercial was making that claim (an ad not putoutby Obama BTW). It never implied that. The commercial cannot infer it can imply. [Are you sure you knowtheEglish language?] The inference was your interpretation.

[YourRearViewMirror1]

In Capitalism, the American Mass Media must interpret/dramatize an innocent political statement into a Controversal Idea to get attention. Hence, increase the ratings (profit).

In a Democracy, Politicians must say what WE THE PEOPLE want to hear and not what they should hear. Otherwise, WE THE PEOPLE will hate that politician.

[YourRearViewMirror1]

Folks,

Bloggers are worst than Political Professionals. Bloggers are WE THE PEOPLE.

Criticize WE THE PEOPLE and the media risk decrease readership (rating).

Almost all Political Campaign money raised goes to the American Mass Media in the form of Air-Time, Ads, and Commercials.

In Capitalism, it is within the interest of the American Mass Media to interpret an innocent political statement into a Controversal Idea to get attention. Hence, increase the ratings (profit).

In a Democracy, Politicians must say what WE THE PEOPLE want to hear and not what they should hear.

When WE THE PEOPLE accept what they should hear, then our Empire will raise once again.

[YourRearViewMirror1]

Folks,

Bloggers are worst than Political Professionals. Bloggers are WE THE PEOPLE.

Criticize WE THE PEOPLE and the media risk decrease readership (rating).

Almost all Political Campaign money raised goes to the American Mass Media in the form of Air-Time, Ads, and Commercials.

It is within the interest of the American Mass Media to interpret an innocent political statement into a Controversal Idea.

In a Democracy, Politicians must say what WE THE PEOPLE want to hear and not what they should hear.

When WE THE PEOPLE accept what they should hear, then our Empire will raise once again.

[CaptainSmollett]

We have four years of history on which to judge Obama, and it has been a colossal failure: poverty increasing to record levels, long-term unemployment, out-of-control spending, skyrocketing debt, and the Fed's economic outlook is "darkening". Why would any rational person ever vote for a confirmed failure when there is any other alternative? No wonder Obama's campaign is groveling in the mud: He must distract the simple-minded from the reality of his abysmal record.

[nearl451]

Ye, well after 4 years of constant bashing we're all pretty tired of you too.

[retmw1]

Why would anyone vote for someone who would steal they're pensions, or who doesn't care enough about the U.S. to invest here and keep his money here.

[nearl451]

All this free speech is sure educational, ain't it?

[Jaylah54200]

Now Romney is saying that Ryan will "fall into line" with his Medicare plan.

Which is pretty amazing considering the fact that Romney was asked what his plan was yesterday, and he said he didn't know.