Imagine a Presidential race in which one campaign calls the incumbent a "hideous hermaphroditical character with neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman." You might think things have gotten bad in today's political rhetoric, but Thomas Jefferson's camp leveled this attack against John Adams in the 1800 race. Monday, we're talking with journalist David Mark and political consultant Dave Owen about negative campaigning in American politics: its history, effectiveness and whether it's on the rise.
- David Mark is the author of Going Dirty : The Art of Negative Campaigning and a Senior Editor at Politico
- Dave Owen runs the Utah-based political consultancy firm Owen Communications.
