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You realize, I hope, that the founders DID NOT campaign nor run ads attacking their opponents. Maybe we should return to their standards of holding elections rather than assault the airwaves with fraudulent claims and lies.

What is your source for your contention that people such as Jefferson, Adams and Madison didn't run hard hitting campaigns to become president. As far as the standards of certain of the founders are concerned, I recall that John Adams had a Congressman imprisoned under the Aliens and Sedition Act for daring to criticize Adams while he was President. Is that the type of standard you want to go back to?

They had a very partisan press back in those times. Every faction and party had their newspapers pushing their idea's and slamming the other side. They called each other all sorts of names I would bet. It was yellow journalism times, the press wasn't all that much professional.

If you care to read what I said you will see that it involved spending money on ADS and running publicly for office. The founders did neither preferring to remain in the background and indirectly manipulate things. It was not honorable to pursue these offices openly. Examine Jefferson's campaigns for an illustration of how it was done by a master manipulator.

This law would not affect any politicians of the Founders' generation in the slightest nor will it affect any today who are clever enough to be able to stack two quarters on top of each other.

The Alien and Sedition Acts were never found to be un-constitutional and as far as Matt "Spittin'" Lyons goes he could have been jailed for the rest of his life and the nation would never have missed him. As it was the clown ran for re-election from jail and the idiot RAT voters of Vermont re-elected him. Today he would be a big supporter of Howard Dean.

It is also important to note that the A&S acts provided far more protection for the accused than the State laws governing the same behavior. These were used by Jefferson's followers to destroy anti-RAT editors and truth was no defense under them as it was under the federal acts.