The Democratic example from Nevada has been so bad that even John Edwards supported Hillary Clinton to slam the Obama campaign:
Clinton slams pro-Obama ad in Nevada
[...."They're shameless and offensive," Clinton said of the ads after a rally in the Nevada mining town of Elko, a day ahead of caucuses that are next in the state-by-state process to choose presidential nominees.
The ad backs Illinois Sen. Obama and says that "Hillary Clinton does not have respect for our people," referring to a lawsuit aimed at stopping voting taking place at Las Vegas casinos on Saturday.
Casinos workers, who are largely represented by a union that endorsed Obama, will be able to vote at their workplaces after a judge rejected the lawsuit, a result that Clinton's campaign called disappointing.
Hispanic voters are a key demographic in Nevada, and many work in Las Vegas's plethora of casinos, hotels and restaurants.....
New York Sen. Clinton also cited anecdotal evidence that citizens were being pressed not to go to the caucus sites if they did not support the candidates their unions had endorsed....]
In South Carolina, the Obama campaign is the one running scared it seems. A pretty good insight into the behind-the-scenes origins of these SC special hits is provided below:
South Carolina Smear Campaigns Turn High-Tech[....One theory about the state's infamous reputation is put forth by South Carolina Republican political operative, Rod Shealy Sr. Shealy was a protege of another Republican operative, Lee Atwater.
"Make no mistake," Shealy said. "The consultants here in South Carolina know how to run a negative campaign. We all trained directly or indirectly from the legendary Lee Atwater, who was a master."
Shealy said it isn't that the state is so rough; it's that the stakes are so high.
"This becomes a do-or-die state for most of the field, after Iowa or New Hampshire. The field usually has become narrowed, and it becomes very much a matter of win or leave," he said.....]
