The 50 Craziest Political Smear Ads

Political campaigns are like car accidents—we know what's happening, we know nothing good can come of them, and yet we all stop and stare. The only difference, in fact, is that America's political campaigns run for months. Months and months of sclerotic, uninspired sniping that culminate in elections that often resemble, at best, a carnival of somewhat intelligent men and women acting like clowns in the hopes that they'll trip on something, anything, that will stir the American public to the polls.

So how do they do it? Campaign ads, of course. Whether they're painting their opponents as coroners thirsting for organs or demon sheep, politicians vying for positions of power spend millions of dollars vying for your eyeballs and attention. With the most outlandish campaigns in mind, we did the unthinkable, so you don't even have to think about it: We sifted through decades of vicious smear ads and found the 50 most outrageous, effective, ridiculous, confusing, and ill-inspired TV spots of all time. Here are the results.

Written by Alex Suskind (@ClassicSource) and Kia Makarechi (@Kia_Mak)

Year: 2008
Target: Pat Roberts, Kansas Senator
Paid For By: Jim Slattery for Senate
Election Results: Roberts defeats Slattery

Jim Slattery wants to cover you up, literally. His campaign's ad features a lot of flesh, which we thought was a quaint metaphor for health insurance. While Pat Roberts has his backside covered, many of his constituents are...walking around in medical robes? Why are they in medical robes if they don't have insurance? We're surprised Jim Slattery lost this race. Why? It's very unlikely that anyone would want to live in a district where handy-men on ladders don't wear pants.

Year: 2011
Target: Mitt Romney, Former Governor of Massachusetts & Gov. Rick Perry of Texas
Paid For By: Revolution PAC
Election Results: TBD

Ron Paul admits that he's not as good looking or as young as Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, but he's not letting that get him down. Instead, he's going after the GOP frontrunners, calling them "plastic men" who support big government and "injecting girls with an STD vaccine." We're not going to lie, we're big fans of Jib-Jab style animations with giant heads, so this ad is a fun one to watch. Look at little Mitt and Rick!

Year: 2008
Target: John McCain, Arizona Senator
Paid For By: SEIU Cope
Election Results: Obama defeats McCain

Painting a candidate as a lamer form of an unpopular politician is a fun game, and it's one that the folks behind this ad couldn't resist. Using cheery music and capitalizing on the happy coincidence that "W" and "M" are similar in shape, this ad compares Bush and McCain's records. Its conclusion? If you want things to get worse than they were under Bush, vote for McCain.

Year: 1988
Target: Michael Dukakis, Massachusetts Governor
Paid For By: George H. W. Bush
Election Results: Bush defeats Dukakis

Dukakis sort of asked for this one when he staged a photo op in which he rode around on a tank and smiled for the cameras, but Bush's campaign went straight for the jugular on this. By using the footage of Dukakis on the tank as the backdrop for the claims that the candidate objected to "virtually every defense system ever developed," the GOP made deft use of a common theme—that Democrats are weak on defense, and thus less trustworthy than their Republican counterparts.

Year: 2009
Target: Michael Quigley
Paid For By: Charlie Wheelan for U.S. Congress
Election Results: Quigley defeats Wheelan

It's a cartoon, which is fun. It's also over three minutes long, which is less fun. Bush and Cheney are painted as evil archvillians, with Obama and Rahm being the nice and tough guys on the other side. Perhaps the most impressive part of economist and professor Charlie Wheelen's cerebral ad is the fact that Cartoon Rahm Emanuel is accurately depicted as missing a digit on one of his middle fingers. That's attention to detail anyone can appreciate. Except Illinois voters, apparently, since Charlie Wheelan lost.

Year: 2010
Target: Harry Reid, Nevada Senator
Paid For By: Friends of Sharron Angle
Election Results: Reid defeats Angle

Sharron Angle used Obama's words against him, but all we left this ad with was, "Man! Obama has aged!" He looks a decade younger in the archival campaign footage she used from a mere few years ago. Look at that hair—so much darker! And his face! So fewer wrinkles. That was a face America believed in. Regardless, the negative parts of this ad didn't seem to stick, as Las Vegans and their fellow Nevadans propelled Harry Reid to another term as senate majority leader.

Year: 2008
Target: Raul Martinez, Mayor of Hialeah, Fla.
Paid For By: RNCC
Election Results: Diaz-Balart defeats Martinez

Martinez gets a pretty bad rap in this clip, which runs down the litany of crimes and poor judgment calls the Republican National Congressional Committee accuses him of. The RNCC stands out in this list for having some of the darkest, harshest ads, and this one is no exception. To hear them tell it, Martinez deserves to be locked up more than he deserves an office. It worked, and he ended up losing the race to Lincoln Diaz-Balart, who the ad says we can all be proud of.

Year: 1988
Target: Dan Quayle, Indiana Senator
Paid For By: Dukakis / Bensen Committee
Election Results: George H. W. Bush defeats Michael Dukakis

This has to be one of the harshest ads of all time. Michael Dukakis' camp was so sure that people hated Dan Quayle that they thought just pointing out that Quayle (Bush Sr.'s runningmate) could become President would be enough to help sink the GOP ticket. Hilarity aside, that turned out not to be the case, and George Herbert Walker Bush and that same Dan Quayle were sent to the White House.

Year: 1972
Target: George McGovern, South Dakota Senator
Paid For By: Democrats for Nixon
Election Results: Richard Nixon defeats McGovern

If your little cousin was going to make a political ad, it would probably look something like this. As a narrator runs down the cuts that McGovern would apply to the defense budget, an ominous hand sweeps away scores of toy soldiers, carriers, and planes. It's a simple trick but it's a powerful one. Given that the ad is from the early '70s, we can forgive the lack of CGI action.

Year: 2011
Target: Mitt Romney, former Governor of MA
Paid For By: Jon Huntsman for President
Election Results: TBD

Jon Huntsman is like that calm uncle you have who shakes his head quietly when a fight breaks out at Thanksgiving dinner, so it's surprising to see him go after another candidate. In this ad, though, we have to wonder what he was thinking. The spot bills itself as a straight comparison: Huntsman was ranked first in job creation, Romney 47th. The only problem? The two numbers are from two different lists. Jon Huntsman, maybe you should stick to the nice-guy act and leave the messy fighting to the children.

Year: 2010
Target: Bradley Byrne
Paid For By: True Republican PAC
Election Results: Robert Brentley defeats Byrne

You've heard of flip-flopping, but weathervane-ing? This ad goes after Bradley Byrne for having changed his mind, and gets especially stuck on the fact that Byrne said there may be parts of the Bible which aren't true. It recognizes that the sandal metaphor was a bit played out, but swapping in a slightly more accurate description of your opponent's supposed character traits doesn't really get us going. It's all your regular campaign ad fodder, but there's a twist: This is an ad paid for by Republicans, attacking a Republican.

Year: 1952
Target: Dwight D. Eisenhower
Paid For By: Adlai Stevenson
Election Results: Eisenhower defeats Adlai Stevenson

This ad is on our list more for its historical significance than its biting criticism, showing how far back the use of painting your opponent as a flip-flopper goes. The Adlai Stevenson campaign even went that extra mile by depicting “Mr. GOP” as a tuxedo-wearing, double-headed cartoon. While the term “flip-flopper” is never spoken, it is heavily implied—both heads jabber back and forth, constantly arguing with themselves. In the audience, regular citizens clamor that “We can't do both!” and “That's double talk!” The ad didn't end up helping Stevenson, who eventually lost the presidency to Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Year: 2008
Target: Mark Udall, Colorado Representative 2nd District
Paid For By: Freedom's Watch
Election Results: Mark Udall defeats Bob Schaffer

A note to whoever made this ad: Just because a guy is wearing a wig and tie-dye shirt does not make him a hippie. In fact, the star of this 2008 commercial really needs to work on his accent, which, to be perfectly blunt, sucks. The point of this spot was to accuse then Colorado congressman Mark Udall of being a pot-smoking flower child who wanted to spend “billions” on a Department of Peace. So, what would this department actually do? According to this ad, take bong rips in the back of an old VW Bus.

Year: 2004
Target: John Kerry, Massachusetts Senator
Paid For By: George W. Bush
Election Results: Bush defeats John Kerry

Forget the substance and political talking points of this ad, we just can't get enough of watching John Kerry windsurf. In the 2004 presidential election, George W. Bush pressed the flip-flopper routine on the Massachusetts senator, saying that he had switched his positions on Iraq, money to support our troops, education reform and Medicare. In a little wink-wink-nudge-nudge joke at the end, the narrator states “John Kerry, whichever way the wind blows.” Did we mention Kerry is actually windsurfing in this ad? Hilarious.

Year: 2010
Target: Linda McMahon
Paid For By: Steve Schiff
Election Results: McMahon defeats Schiff

If you repeat things over and over, people will remember. If that's the case, you'll be dreaming about "Liberal McMahon" and her "kick in the pants" for at least a few days. Steve Schiff didn't waste any time targeting McMahon's connection with supposedly brutal, made-for-TV wrestling. This ad gets pretty literal, and features archival footage of Linda McMahon doing her best, well, kick in the pants. It looks painful, but not as painful as watching this ad was.

Year: 2008
Target: Jason Altmire, U.S. representative and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House
Paid For By: People for Melissa Hart
Election Results: Altmire defeats Hart

The message in this ad is simple: Nancy Pelosi planted a bomb in the House of Representatives. Wait, that didn't happen? Oh, the house exploding in this advertisement is supposed to serve as a metaphor for Nancy and her cronies destroying Congress—and that the 2008 House of Representatives nominee in Pennsylvania's 4th district, Melissa Hart, would help fix everything (or, defuse the bomb, so to speak). Unfortunately for Hart, her campaign was the only thing that actually exploded, and she ended up losing the election.

Year: 2004
Target: Virginia Foxx, Now Rep. North Carolina 5th Congressional District
Paid For By: Vernon Robinson
Election Results: Foxx defeats Robinson

Robinson's ad runs free and quick down a list of threats—terrorists, homosexuals, Al Sharpton, abortion—without differentiating them in any rational order. We suppose the intent is to scare the viewer about the state of their country. So what does Robinson plan to do about all these so called threats? He says he'd send all that back to the "Twilight Zone," because that's the role of politicians, to create plot lines for shows that aren't even being made anymore.

Year: 1968
Target: Hubert Humphrey, Vice President
Paid For By: Richard Nixon
Election Results: Nixon defeats Hubert Humphrey

Images are stronger than words in this trippy-as-hell attack ad from the 1968 presidential election between Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphrey. The commercial shows a smiling Humphrey cut with images of Vietnam, race riots, poverty, and everything else that was bad in the world during the 1960s. In the background, weird sound effects are played in combination with “Hail to the Chief.” It's hard to imagine the words “avant-garde” and “Richard Nixon” being spoken in the same breath, but this spot proves us wrong.

Year: 2008
Target: John McCain, Arizona Senator
Paid For By: Obama for America
Election Results: Barack Obama defeats McCain

Barack Obama faced more than his fair share of attacks during the 2008 election, but this ad shows him getting a little payback against opponent John McCain. The commercial paints the Arizona senator as an out-of-touch conservative who doesn't know how to use a computer and supports $200 million in tax cuts for the rich. Also, did you know McCain is old? Because this ad makes sure to state that as well. Although this spot was far from the deciding factor in '08, it did play up McCain's tech ignorance, whereas the Obama campaign's use of social media has since been heralded as a driving force in his win.

Year: 2010
Target: Bill Brady, Illinois Senator
Paid For By: Quinn / Simon for Illinois
Election Results: Quinn defeats Brady

This advertisement may break the record for the number of attacks in one sitting. During the 2010 Illinois gubernatorial election, Bill Brady had to deal with this whopper of a smear ad, which linked him to killing cats and dogs in gas chambers, repealing civil rights for gays, not paying taxes, drinking tea with Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin, providing $1 billion in tax cuts to the rich, cutting education, firing teachers, decreasing minimum wage, and, just for good measure, comparing his running mate to Adam Sandler in “Billy Madison.” Yikes.

Year: 2011
Target: Joe Manchin
Paid For By: National Republican Senatorial Committee
Election Results: TBD

If there's anything campaign ad creators love, it's a republican saying nice things about Barack Obama. Joe Manchin -- who took over the late Robert Byrd's senate seat -- has said some really, really nice things about our President, and now he'll just have to pay the penalty. This ad was actually one of the first campaign ads of the political cycle, and came out swinging. The NRSC relentless mocks "Joe & O," comparing them to Sonny and Cher and even bacon and eggs. Bacon and eggs? Isn't that a good thing? Lay off the bacon, NRSC.

Year: 1996
Target: Bill Clinton Threat
Paid For By: Republican National Committee
Election Results: Clinton defeats Bob Dole

Playing out like a cheesy anti-drug commercial, this, well, cheesy anti-drug commercial doubled as an attack ad against Bill Clinton in his 1996 bid for reelection. Because drug use had doubled in the last four years, his opponent, Bob Dole, wanted to paint Clinton as someone who was doing nothing about it. If you take this advertisement at its word, Clinton was essentially providing the meth, heroin and marijuana (seriously, do politicians get a kick out of grouping weed into this category?) for young kids to use on playgrounds and schoolyards.

Year: 2008
Target: Bruce Lunsford
Paid For By: Mitch McConnell Senate Committee
Election Results: McConnell defeats Lunsford

Linking your opponent to possibly being responsible for the death of a veteran is attack ad gold. Mitch McConnell used this to his advantage in 2008 against his opponent Bruce Lunsford. In an interview, Susie Woodman states that her now late husband, Woody, an army veteran, received poor care at one of Lunsford's healthcare clinics. Due to “cost cutting,” Woody died. Susie claims that “one more test” could have saved her husband's life. This rough smear ad, meanwhile, helped to kill Lunsford dreams.

Year: 2008
Target: Barack Obama, Illinois Senator
Paid For By: The National Republican Trust Act
Election Results: Obama won the presidential race, of course

Our first Obama smear ad comes courtesy of the National Republican Trust Act, who looked to milk the “Obama is friends with an anti-American” talking point that became popular during the 2008 election. The person in question here is Reverend Wright, who Obama followed for 20 years. As many of you probably already know, Wright had been known to make some rather unflattering remarks about the United States, making it all too easy for Republicans to create a commercial showing Obama's face alongside clips of the reverend saying “goddamn America.”

Year: 2008
Target: Kay Barnes, Kansas City, Missouri Mayor
Paid For By: Sam Graves
Election Results: Graves defeats Barnes

According to this advertisement, every single gay person wears bright yellow sleeveless shirts and cowboy hats. The ad was an attack on then Kansas City, Missouri governor Kay Barnes, who, due to her “San Francisco values,” had a fundraiser thrown for her by Nancy Pelosi.

So what were these so-called San Fran values? Supporting same-sex marriage, abortion, and illegal immigration, obviously. Since Barnes was running for the wholesome position of Missouri congresswoman, her “big city” positions should not be tolerated. We are going to assume her opponent, Sam Graves, had never even been to San Francisco.

Year: 2008
Target: Ronnie Musgrove
Paid For By: Roger Wicker for Senate
Election Results: Wicker defeats Musgrove

Continuing the stereotypical images of homosexuals, this ad was supposed to make it seem like former Mississippi governor Ronnie Musgrove was accepting money from whoever was offering it. Instead, the commercial got a spotlight for basically stating that anyone who's gay dresses like the Village People.

During the ad, two individuals sit and collect cash for Musgrove's campaign. When three men, dressed as a cowboy, a cop and an Indian, show up, the guy at the table says, “Let me guess…” with the cowboy finishing the sentence, “…the largest gay rights group in the country.” We certainly hope Roger Wicker, Musgrove's opponent, never listens to “Y.M.C.A.” in his spare time.

Year: 2010
Target: Bill McCollum
Paid For By: Let's Get To Work
Election Results: Rick Scott defeats McCollum

From urination to feces, we've seen a lot of bathroom humor in these campaign ads. This one in particular is especially abrasive, comparing Bill McCollum to a baby's diaper—as though he's not even ready to be referred to as adult waste.

This is one of the ads that makes us wonder what kind of person came up with the idea. Was it a frustrated father or mother who just couldn't get work out of his or her head while doing the dirty deeds of parenting? Aside from the gross metaphor, the ad is pretty generic, running down a list of abuses and flip flops. Politicians are like diapers, it says, and...well, you know the rest.

Year: 1964
Target: Barry Goldwater, Arizona Senator
Paid For By: unknown
Election Results: Lyndon Johnson defeats Goldwater

If your opponent links you to the Ku Klux Klan, you can kiss the election goodbye. While Barry Goldwater had the “Daisy ad” (which you'll see further into this countdown) to thank for his defeat, this commercial, which revealed the Ku Klux Klan's support for the Republican nominee, certainly didn't help him.

Even though the KKK was (marginally) more accepted in 1964, politicians weren't exactly looking for public support from the organization. No one running for office wants to be tied directly with people who hate every minority and burn crosses in their spare time.

Year: 2010
Target: Tom Campbell
Paid For By: Carly For California
Election Results: Carly Fiorinia defeats Campbell in the primary, but ultimately loses to incumbent Senator Barbara Boxer

It's hard to think of a scarier political story than this one, which involves sheep that look nice and friendly, but are actually, wait for it, demons. Fiorina's campaign made deft use of the bad-apple metaphor, painting Campbell as a sloppy politician who voted with one side of his mouth and campaigned out the other.

"Demon Sheep" has proven to be one of the most memorable ads of recent years, but something tells us we'll get a new one soon that will blow it out of the water. At least they didn't use the term "black sheep"? But if you think calling someone a demon is harsh, just wait until you find out what 'FCINY' stands for.

Year: 2008
Target: Kay Hagan, North Carolina Senator
Paid For By: Elizabeth Dole
Election Results: Hagan defeats Dole

It doesn't take a genius to know that our country is obsessed with our politicians' religious beliefs, which makes this attack ad on North Carolina senator Kay Hagan all the more smear-worthy. In the commercial, Elizabeth Dole criticized her opponent for the possibility of not believing in god. Apparently, Hagan had attended a fundraiser thrown in her honor by the group Godless Americans. In Hagan's defense, she ended up winning the election; plus, you try turning away money when raising millions is almost required to run a national campaign.

Year: 2008
Target: Sarah Palin, Alaska Governor
Paid For By: Defenders of Wildlife Action Fund
Election Results: Palin and presidential nominee John McCain are defeated by Barack Obama and Joe Biden

There are so many different ways to smear your opponent in a commercial; however, this is the only one we found that showed actual footage of people shooting animals in the back. One of the many (many) things people criticized Sarah Palin for was her apparent merciless attitude toward killing defenseless wildlife. According to this commercial, Palin would use low-flying planes to hunt wolves, killing them in the winter when there is "nowhere to escape." Now, just cue the shot of a dead wolf hanging from the plane, and…scene. Classy.

Year: 2010
Target: Rep. David Vitter, Louisiana's 1st District
Paid For By: Melancon Campaign Comittee
Election Results: Vitter defeats Melancon

David Vitter's many crimes—hanging out with prostitutes, for one—aren't really forgotten, but this Democratic attack ad takes full advantage of the easy target Vitter made himself. Charlie Melancon's campaign was wise to enlighten the electorate about the transgressions, and we're not sure how, but it wasn't enough to topple Vitter. And we're also not sure that we'll be able to forget the "dramatic reenactments" in this spot.

Year: 2008
Target: Barack Obama, President
Paid For By: Mitt Romney
Election Results: TBD

Sometimes, the hardest hitting GOP ads are actually Obama-driven. It's usually not because Obama said something offensive; rather, a clever campaigner finds a way to pervert the meaning of a phrase or word that Obama used into something ominous and downright callous.

Take this one, for example. Romney's campaign grabs a soundbite and runs with it, turning Obama's usage of "bump in the road" (to recovery) into a dirty euphemism for the unemployed. Tough stuff, Mitt!

Year: 2006
Target: Rep. Harold Ford, Tennessee's 9th District
Paid For By: NRCC
Election Results: Bob Corker defeats Ford

The Republican National Committee knew just how to take down Harold Ford: sarcasm. The ad uses a host of Harold-happy fans expressing their gratitude to the porn-loving, gun-hating, national security-snoozing, tax-raising incumbent, and the rest is history. Hint: Ford lost. The ad wasn't without its detractors, though, as even some GOP officials characterized it as playing to racist sentiments. In the end, even Republican nominee, and eventual winner, Bob Corker asked for the ad to be pulled, and it was.

Year: 2008
Target: Jeff Merkley, Oregon Speaker of the House
Paid For By: Friends of Gordon Smith
Election Results: Merkley defeats Smith

Politicians in waiting must be terrified at the prospect of running for office. The smallest slip-up, or even just voting for a bill, could bring your whole campaign down. Luckily for then Oregon Speaker of the House, Jeff Merkley, he was able to win his senate election, despite this ad's claim that he protects rapists.

The commercial featured an interview with a rape victim who criticizes Merkley for voting against changing a law that would extend time on prosecuting old crimes; meaning, the victim's assailant got off without punishment. The ad ends with a devastating line: “Jeff Merkley, you should have voted to protect victims, not rapists.”

Year: 1968
Target: Richard Nixon, Vice President
Paid For By: Hubert Humphrey
Election Results: Nixon defeats Humphrey

This smear ad doesn't say anything about vice presidential nominee Spiro Agnew's record as a politician; it just features a man laughing at the fact that Agnew was chosen as Richard Nixon's running mate in the first place. Why discuss substance when all you need to do is laugh at a person's name? (To be honest, though, Spiro Agnew is a pretty funny name). Of course, the joke ended up being on Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey, who lost the presidential race to Nixon. Laugh at that, Hubert supporters.

Year: 2010
Target: Meg Whitman
Paid For By: Brown for Governor
Election Results: Jerry Brown defeats Whitman

Repeating your own talking points is the staple of a well-run campaign. However, sometimes that can turn against you, as Republican nominee Meg Whitman found out in this 2010 attack ad. In it, Whitman, who was running for the California governor's office at the time, is shown copying some of the exact same things previous governor Arnold Schwarzenegger had said.

One could probably make the case that this commercial could have been done comparing any two candidates, but the image of Ah-nuld side by side with the Hewlett-Packard CEO was pretty devastating to the Whitman campaign, especially because Schwarzenegger left office with California's economy in ruins.

Year: 2008
Target: Barack Obama, Illinois Senator
Paid For By: National Campaign Fund
Election Results: Obama won

Unfortunately, the “Barack Obama is a Muslim” talking point went on long after this commercial first aired. Financed by the National Campaign Fund, it shows Obama in traditional Islamic garb with a voiceover stating that there are records showing he was in school as a Muslim while living in Indonesia as a child.

And just to cover their asses, the NCF makes sure to end the ad with a “being the Muslim isn't the problem”-type statement; it's the fact that Obama may be lying about it. Yeah, we're sure the possibility of being a Muslim had nothing to do with you opposing him.

Year: 2010
Target: Martha Roby
Paid For By: Rick Barber
Election Results: Roby defeats Barber in Alabama's 2nd District Congressional GOP Primary

Rick Barber is sitting in a tavern knocking back some beers with some of our founding fathers (because that's possible and normal). He then tells his historical drinking buddies about all of the ludicrous things that Obama and his fellow Democrats have done, and they're silently, and stoically, enraged. They don't say much—perhaps their Halloween store wigs and uncomfortable costumes are too restrictive. Eventually, Washington signals their agreement, and the proverbial "war" starts. We think.

Year: 2010
Target: Lee Fisher, then Lt. Governor of Ohio
Paid For By: National Republican Senatorial Committee
Election Results: Senator Rob Portman defeats Fisher

Lee Fisher made it pretty easy for the GOP to go after him. Watch this ad and wonder how on earth Anthony Weiner didn't see his fate coming. The truth is that Fisher's son filmed him speaking shirtless for a documentary, but this attack ad paints a different picture.

Watch and see—it's a pretty impressive piece of video editing. We think it's safe to say no one wants to know what "job" Lee Fisher was focusing on for most of the footage in this campaign spot, but we know he'll probably never be filmed shirtless himself again.

Year: 2008
Target: John McCain, Arizona Senator
Paid For By: Brave New PAC
Election Results: McCain survives

There was plenty of hubbub surrounding John McCain's age and declining health during the '08 election, but no ad hit the topic more head on than this. The commercial states that McCain has been diagnosed with melanoma, one of the “deadliest of skin cancers.” Afterward, some seriously unflattering photos of the Arizona Senator appear on screen.

To drive home the point, two doctors come on to discuss the deadly effects of melanoma (one of them makes sure to put a stethoscope around his neck to show that he really knows what he's talking about). The ad's message to voters: McCain could die in office if he's elected.

Year: 2006
Target: John Cranley
Paid For By: NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee)
Election Results: Incumbent Rep. Steve Chabot defeats Cranley

If you ever thought iMovie lightening effects were only for aping dramatic weather, you're clearly not as creative as the National Republican Congressional Committee. They prefer to use the fake lightning bolts on the head of a young girl, who the NRCC alleged could be tased under the supervision of challenger John Cranley. The fear-mongering worked, and the candidate the NRCC was supporting, incumbent Steve Chabot, prevailed. Turns out Chabot's district is really about protecting those young'ins. Can you blame them?

Year: 2011
Target: Rep. David Price, North Carolina, 4th District
Paid For By: B.J. Lawson for Congress Campaign
Election Results: TBD

Morgan Freeman's soothing voice makes us want to listen to anything he says, so it makes sense that a politician would want to harness that vocal sweetness for a campaign spot. What doesn't make sense is when a politician knows that a voice-double voiced the ad and pretends that it was Freeman himself, as though no one would ever find out.

When Freeman called the campaign of B.J. Lawson on its bull, the campaign claimed they had been tricked by "political mercenaries." The only problem with that little lie? Emails clearly show the commercial company explaining that Freeman would not be a part of the process. Join us—we're shaking our heads, too.

[Via Huffington Post]

Year: 2010
Target: Norman Grace, Alabama Agriculture Commissioner
Paid For By: Dale Peterson
Election Results: Peterson finishes third in the primary

Dale Peterson is the kind of guy who likes to yell about the "thugs and criminals" that he's trying to replace, because they're "dummies." In fact, Alabama has produced a number of, shall we say, special ads in recent years, but this one has to rank amongst our favorites.

Aside from the ultra-abrasive tone, this ad actually doesn't seem that bad, until the point where he pulls out a rifle while saying "we're Republicans!" From then on, watch the camera—why does it so lovingly gaze at that gun? We're worried for the horse, too.

Year: 1964
Target: Barry Goldwater, Arizona Senator
Paid For By: Lyndon Johnson
Election Results: Johnson defeats Goldwater

"Daisy," considered one of the most popular political smear ads ever made, ended up being a huge factor in Lyndon Johnson's defeat over Republican nominee Barry Goldwater. The commercial shows a young girl sitting in a field of flowers; all of the sudden, the girl freezes, a camera zooms right into her face, and a voiceover begins counting down from nine. When it hits zero, footage of a giant mushroom cloud from a nuclear explosion is played, the idea being that voting for Goldwater could mean a nuclear attack on the country. The ad was shown only once, before being pulled due to criticism. Two months later, Goldwater lost the election.

Year: 2008
Target: Barack Obama, Illinois Senator
Paid For By: John McCain
Election Results: Obama defeats McCain

In one of the most infamous ads of the 2008 presidential election, the folks behind John McCain's campaign released a commercial stating Barack Obama supported “comprehensive sex education” for kindergarteners. However, there was one problem with that claim: It completely misrepresented Obama's original stance along with the bill he had backed.

According to The Washington Post, when Obama was a senator, he voted for a bill to modify sex education (it had also been supported by “a coalition of education and public health organizations”), which, among other things, gave young children information on how to defend themselves against sexual predators.

Another key piece of info that was left out? Parents had the option to withdrawal their children from the classroom during the lessons.

Year: 2008
Target: Pat Roberts, Kansas Senator
Paid For By: Jim Slattery for Senate
Election Results: Roberts defeats Slattery

We have a hard time believing the campaign behind this ad didn't want us to think that giant was urinating on the poor, small folks. And if they did want us to think that (until they show the gasoline hose), then, gross.

Here's the kind of ad that makes us wonder if our politicians are actually just grade-school children who somehow snuck into their parents offices and started funding ad campaigns and writing legislation. We can't say that it's not amusing, but are these really the people we want running our country? Someone should remind Jim Slattery to at least try to keep it classy. Then again, he lost.

Year: 1988
Target: Michael Dukakis, Massachusetts Governor
Paid For By: National Security Political Action Committee
Election Results: Dukakis loses

In a commercial that's widely considered one of the most infamous in political history, the Willie Horton ad was used during the 1988 presidential election by the National Security Political Action Committee to paint Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis as soft on crime.

While he was governor of Massachusetts, Dukakis oversaw a prison furlough program. Horton, who had been convicted of murder, was on a furlough when he escaped and assaulted a couple. The incident led to this advertising campaign, which linked Dukakis to the brutal crimes Horton had committed.

Critics claimed that the ad was racist, and, more pointedly, used to stir up negative fears about blacks. Adding to their argument was the fact that before the ad, Willie Horton had never been referred to as “Willie.” He was always William.

Year: 2010
Target: Frank Minyard, Coroner, New Orleans Parish
Paid For By: Dwight McKenna
Election Results: Nine-time incumbent Frank Minyard defeats McKenna

Painting your opponent as an organ-hungry coroner/creep is a bit harsh, especially when you call him out by name. Some might say it's a little hokey to use actors and scary scenarios just to win an election. But if you're Dwight McKenna, that's exactly what you do when you're running for coroner in New Orleans against Frank Minyard. Unfortunately, if you're Dwight McKenna, that's also exactly how you lose an election.

Year: 2008
Target: Barack Obama, Illinois Senator
Paid For By: National Republican Trust PAC
Election Results: Obama takes his victory lap

From calling politicians godless to linking them to sexual abuse charges, and even down to saying they're not American, in the end, there's only one smear that trumps them all: indirectly stating that your opponent is going to cause another 9/11.

That's the issue Barack Obama faced when this commercial, financed by the National Republican Trust PAC, came out during the 2008 election. We've already seen plenty of Barack-related smears in this countdown, but when you link a potential presidential candidate to one of the biggest massacres in U.S. history, you're going to shoot right to the top of the list.

The ad starts by telling us that of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers, 13 were able to obtain drivers licenses. Since Obama supports immigrants' rights to get driver licenses, said immigrants could end up “boarding a plane,” and potentially cause another terrorist attack.

So, just to recap: Barack Obama's support for immigrants to get drivers licenses could equal a second 9/11. Well, that's about as classy as it gets. Of course, it didn't matter in the end, since Obama ended up winning the election.