Should politicians families be off limits during election time?

We've all been inundated by the phone calls, newspaper, radio and tv ads supporting a favored candidate. It seems for as long as I can remember there have been ads attacking the other candidate rather than focusing on the positive things about the candidate the ad does support. When did it change from making us aware of how good Candidate A would be and become a means to show us how bad Candidate B is?

In the recent elections, the keyword in most negative ads is Obama. If a candidate is a Democrat you can be sure the opposition will find a way to slip in negative remarks about Obama. I bet that someone in Podunkville (population 1,600) could be running for the position of dogcatcher and if they're Democrat, something negative about Obama will find it's way into an ad. No matter that the candidate has never met President Obama, it's guilt by association.

That can also spill over onto the families of people in the political spotlight. Most recently, a spokeswoman for Republican Congressman Stephen Fincher of Tennessee wrote some pretty rude comments about the President's daughters and the First Lady. She took it upon herself to be a child rearing expert, fashion police and White House Emily Post. Someone should have told her that attacking 16 and 13 year old girls is low. I'm from the South as well and was raised to be respectful even when I disagreed with someone. It appears that Ms Lauren

It seems that Elizabeth Lauten ( the Congressman's spokesperson) decided that the President's daughters looked bored during the annual turkey pardon ceremony. She also took issue with the way they were dressed and publicly posted her comments for the world to see. Her rant online included comments: "Then again, your mother and father don't respect their positions very much, or the nation for that matter," "So I'm guessing you're coming up a little short in the 'good role model' department."Nevertheless, stretch yourself. Rise to the occasion. Act like being in the White House matters to you. "Dress like you deserve respect, not a spot at a bar,"

It's obvious that Ms Lauten has forgotten what it's like to be a teenager having to make nice at some event your parents have made you go to. She also seems to be a bit out of touch with current fashions for young teen girls. I bet somewhere in her life there have been some eye rolling moments of boredom and less than correct clothing choices. I'm from the South and was raised to be respectful even when disagreeing with someone. It appears that Ms Lauten missed that lesson. Perhaps she's a bit lacking in the "good role model department" herself.

Candidates that have negative attacks on their opponents families will not get my vote. While a candidate shouldn't have to be subjected to extreme negative attacks, they at least are somewhat prepared for it. Their families usually aren't and suffer for it.

It's time that we start demanding better of the people wanting to represent us. An election campaign is a giant job interview. I want to know why the candidate is right for the job,not why their opponent isn't. If they applied for a corporate job using the tactics they use in campaigning, they'd still be looking for a job.