Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Relationships and Religion
A Child, a Daisy, and the Birth of Political Mud-Slinging

A Child, a Daisy, and the Birth of Political Mud-Slinging

Last updated on: November 4, 2024 at 9:49 am by Beverly R. Green

A Child, a Daisy, and the Birth of Political Mud-Slinging 2024-11-04T09:49:14-05:00 Beverly R. Green

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

A Child, a Daisy, and the Birth of Political Mud-Slinging wikiimages@pixabay

A Child, A Daisy, and the Birth of Political Mud-Slinging

It seems there has always been negativity attached to American Presidential elections. People disagree, sometimes vehemently, with the other party’s candidate. Maybe an attack on one’s opponent is considered “good politics.” To me, “good politics” is an oxymoron, and political ads are definitely the worst of the worst part of contemporary election tactics. Where did it all come from, I wonder. I remember a child, a daisy, and the subtle birth of political mud-slinging.

1964

The first election I really remember was 1964: Barry Goldwater and Lyndon Johnson. Not that long since the assassination of JFK, with a war in a previously unheard-of place called Vietnam, the fear of nuclear weapons, the Cold War, and racial tensions running high, ’64 was arguably as uncomfortable an election as the one we face today, 60 years later.

In 1964, it was commonly believed that the United States and Soviet Union already had over 30,000 nuclear weapons. Out of fear of imminent attack, fallout shelters were built in peoples’ backyards and in the basements of some public buildings. Rumors of bombs being tested in secret, underground locations flew. I personally remember “duck and cover” drills at school where we frightened students would curl up under desks away from windows in case of attack–ridiculous–almost humorous.

Jesse Greenspan for History.com paints the political scene:

“[Lyndon] Johnson, who had become president the previous year following the John F. Kennedy assassination … relentlessly portrayed [Barry] Goldwater as an unstable extremist, not just for his nuclear positions but also for opposing the Civil Rights Act and for stating that Social Security ought to be voluntary. In private, Johnson called Goldwater ‘nutty as a fruitcake.’ At the same time, Johnson saw himself as ‘the source of order and calm and composure’ who would ‘keep everyone safe.’

“Goldwater … called the atomic bomb ‘merely another weapon,’ suggested using ‘low-yield’ nuclear arms to defoliate forests and disrupt enemy supply lines in Vietnam, and joked about lobbing a nuclear missile into the men’s room of the Kremlin.

“In addition, Goldwater opposed both nuclear disarmament and limitations to nuclear weapons testing. He thought the use of nuclear weapons shouldn’t always require presidential approval, and he mocked those who ‘would rather crawl on [their] knees to Moscow than die under an atom bomb.'”

Although Johnson was nearly assured of winning the election, he chose to play on the fears and emotions of the American people. He used a child and a daisy, and subtly gave birth to political mud-slinging.

According to Jesse Greenspan in his article “The 1964 Campaign that Leveraged Cold War Fears” (May 8 2024), it was these attitudes that “ushered in an era of negative political advertising that has yet to abate and cemented the importance of TV to political campaigns … Before then … campaigns generally took a fact-based approach to ads, selling their candidates like they would a bar of soap. Many of Johnson’s ads, on the other hand, were pithy, short spots designed to generate a visceral emotional response.”

A Different Kind of Political Strategy

This environment gave birth to the most terrifying political ad that ever crossed American airwaves. It aired only once on a Monday evening. As an eight-year-old, I was not prepared for the horror of a child, a daisy, and a nuclear bomb. By the reaction of my adult family members, they were not prepared either. It was what many historians believe to be the first of political mud-slinging ads, and even though it never mentioned Goldwater by name, the implication was clear. And Johnson’s calm, assuring voice followed the shock.

https://www.history.com/videos/campaign-spot-peace-little-girl-1964

God bless you and God bless and protect the United States of America.

General Christian

Politics and Religion

Previous Post

November 1, 2024

The Battle Strategies of Exodus 17

Next Post

November 11, 2024 What's Wrong With My Tunnel Vision?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What type of wood was Noah’s Ark made from?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Cedar Gopher wood Olive wood Oak