Let The Mudslinging Begin!

From the people who brought you Press One For English, Press Two For Deportation, KFC Hillary Special: 2 Fat Thighs, 2 Small Breasts, Left Wing, Luvya Dubya and of course, Stand Behind Our Troops, Or Stand In Front Of Them comes the latest round of controversial pins for this new election season. Republican Market, a Florida-based website devoted to all things GOP, was recently spotted at the Republican State Convention in Houston with a booth offering the latest round of politically shallow and morally irresponsible pins declaring "If Obama is President...will we still call it the White House?"

Republican Market's website is filled with all sorts of conservative memorabilia, most bordering on the offensive, some simply honoring Republican powerhouses (Reagan gifts are most popular.) A quick search for "Obama" brings up absolutely no merch for the Illinois Senator, but these pins were debuted and for sale inside the convention last weekend. This is the second time Texas Republicans have been thrust into the national negative spotlight in just one week.

With a shared history of reaching across the aisle, both John McCain and Barack Obama have a reputation of clean campaigning and respect for the other candidate. However, with this being the first presidential election since the ascension of YouTube and blog culture, many see the mudslinging and dirty work being done not by the candidates, but by surrogates, independent interest groups and anyone with a microphone or a can of spraypaint.