Mud on the campaign trail
Barack Obama pulled even with Hillary Clinton in a key poll, and he may get a boost as the Democratic presidential rivals trade increasingly harsh attacks, said Noam Scheiber in The New Republic Online. The "rough" campaigning might be good for
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
What happened
Barack Obama pulled into a statistical tie with Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton in Iowa, as the rival presidential candidates stepped up their attacks on each other. A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Monday found that 30 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers supported Obama, while 26 percent backed Clinton and 22 percent backed former senator John Edwards. (The New York Times' The Caucus blog, free registration)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Mudslinging seems to have taken over the campaign, said Noam Scheiber in The New Republic Online. At least for the moment. Obama has been “exercised” like never before since columnist Robert Novak wrote that Clinton’s campaign had “dirt” on Obama that it wasn’t going to use. The story has captured "the lurid imagination" of campaign watchers, and that might increase the buzz around his campaign.
This is where the race gets interesting, said Eugene Robinson in The Washington Post (free registration). Rough, negative campaigning “isn’t a pox on the republic,” it’s tradition. And “the swordplay of attack and counterattack” can be helpful, by “getting candidates off their standard, focus-group-tested campaign rhetoric and flushing out their unvarnished views.”
Let’s not let the nastiness get out of hand, said the Seattle Post-Intelligencer in an editorial. Sen. John McCain had a chance to strike a blow for civility when a supporter referred to Clinton as a “bitch,” but he just laughed instead. “If it’s not too late,” the candidates should all try to remember that “how they respond to such digs matters.”
The "politics of strategic outrage" are in full force in both parties, said Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin in The Politico. With the "tight campaign calendar," no one can afford to let an attack pass without a counterattack. And all the candidates want to "show they're tougher than John Kerry was in 2004."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries chosen to succeed Pelosi as leader of House Democrats
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's bid for House speaker may really be in peril
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Are China's protests a real threat for Beijing?
opinion The sharpest opinions on the debate from around the web
By Harold Maass Published
-
Who is Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist who dined with Trump and Kanye?
Speed Read From Charlottesville to Mar-a-Lago in just five years
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Jury convicts Oath Keepers Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs of seditious conspiracy in landmark Jan. 6 verdict
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
A look at the White House's festive and homey holiday decor
Speed Read
By Brigid Kennedy Published
-
Bob Iger addresses 'Don't Say Gay' bill, says inclusion is part of Disney's values
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published