7 nastiest moments of a mean campaign season
The "shut up" moment and the Ohio ad are the kind of exchanges that get clipped and replayed a thousand times, but I wonder how much they actually change anyone's vote. Most people in battleground districts have already made up their minds by now, and the undecided voters who remain are probably not swayed by someone being rude on a debate stage. If anything, these moments give the opposing side fresh fundraising material and a reason to rally their own base.
I think the real question is whether the nastiness reflects the candidates or the incentives around them. Attack ads work, or at least they seem to, which is why campaigns keep running them even when the public says it's tired of the negativity. The Ohio ad in particular sounds like it crossed a line that even hardened strategists would wince at, and that's worth paying attention to.
I'd want to know how these seven moments were chosen and whether the piece weighs the context. A "shut up" can be a genuine loss of cool, but it can also be a calculated move to look tough with a certain slice of the electorate. Same for the ad. Context matters, and without the full transcript or the full spot, it's hard to judge fairly.