As the 2012 presidential election nears, even those who have no interest in politics will be subject to the seemingly endless commercials for each candidate. This is expected and necessary in modern-day politics, but one aspect needs to be limited: mudslinging.

            Insulting and trash talking an opponent is not a new practice, of course. It goes back as far as John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson, and it will no doubt continue for many elections in the future. But that does not make all of it excusable.

            It seems that the partisanship of this country has become so extreme that the candidates resort to simple insults and rudeness in order to establish superiority. Often, a candidate’s attempt at marring the reputation of the other serves only to make the instigator look foolish and desperate; other times, the attempt proves to be completely untrue and therefore unethical.

            For instance, the false claim that President Barack Obama was not born in America still lingers. Republicans rarely bring it up any more, but doing it once was enough to plant seeds of doubt in minds of more naïve voters. Politicians knew this, but continued anyway, proof that many politicians have focused on a desire to win instead of a desire to help the people of the United States.

            Democrats are far from innocent as well. Many times, writers will focus on Mitt Romney’s rich and privileged background instead of his actual political views. They constantly criticize vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan, occasionally implying he is sexist and racist.

            This mudslinging distracts from the issues and sets a poor precedent for later US politics. It encourages division and is counterproductive to future compromise. It might prevent some voters from voting for one candidate, but it might frustrate other voters as candidates again engage in a verbal fight instead of a useful debate of real problems.

            And while the lowly insults are no doubt detrimental to political etiquette, they also set a poor example for the members of the public who witness them. Adults and youth alike could see the discourteous pattern of debates and infer that it is acceptable, and could perhaps even contribute to winning. A foundation of disrespect is not what America should have a reputation for.

Even if it is “good politics,” an insult does not prove that Romney would be a better president than Obama, or vice versa.