Let’s be honest — political races have never been known for their chivalry. We don’t see many politicians expressing goodwill toward their opponents. Heck, if Republican gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka and current Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich discussed issues over a cup of tea and muffins in a political debate, we’d all be pretty shocked (especially since they’ve barely had any debates to begin with, but that’s another issue). This year’s Illinois elections have had their fair share of mudslinging. From Blagojevich’s “What was she thinking?” ads to Topinka’s negative responses, the campaign efforts seem more like a promotion for a World Wrestling Entertainment event than an election campaign.

That is, until we take a look at other smear campaigns for other elections — especially senate races — across the country.

In Tennessee, Democrat Harold Ford Jr. is looking to become the first black senator elected in the South since Reconstruction, according to an Aug. 3 article on USAtoday.com. His opponent, Republican Bob Corker asked just last Wednesday for a “distasteful” ad to be pulled after the NAACP and Republican former Sen. Bill Cohen denounced it, according to an Oct. 24 article on MSNBC.com. The ad featured a woman in her mid-30s asking Ford to “call me” after claiming they met at the Playboy mansion. This ad, which was run by the Republican National Committee, is not only very immature, but it doesn’t say anything about Ford’s actual stances on issues. It’s not only tacky, but the NAACP thought the ad was “powerful innuendo that plays to pre-existing prejudices about African-American men and white women,” according to the MSNBC report. The ad is no longer running in Tennessee, but RNC chairman Ken Mehlman said this was because the ad had “run its course,” instead of having been pulled.

If you thought this was bad, there’s more.

Michael J. Fox, the famous actor with Parkinson’s disease, was in a political ad to support Democrat Claire McCaskill. The ad encourages increased funding for stem cell research. Fox is seen swaying and at times rocking in the ad, a clear indication of how Parkinson’s has affected his life. On his radio show, Rush Limbaugh mocked Fox and claimed the actor “is either acting or didn’t take his medication.” The insensitive radio host also took the opportunity to say liberals were exploiting Fox’s symptoms to get votes for Democrats in the upcoming election. Fox went on CBS Evening News and, with class, defended his decision to go on the air. He explained that the medication he uses causes the side effect shown on the ad (which was also visible on the show with Katie Couric).

Notice that something is missing in all of these campaign tactics? Whether the media is missing the boat or the political ads are too busy smearing the name of the opponent, the issues or stances each candidate plans to do if elected are rarely discussed. This columnist is less interested in what’s wrong with what the other candidate is perceived as doing wrong, or what a political ad is doing to evoke emotion from the viewing public than what the goals of the candidate entail. Don’t we, as voters, deserve more educated discussions on a politician’s ideologies than childish mudslinging we’ve seen lately?