How to Lose an American Election in 10 Minutes or Less

Winning an election takes hard word, dedication, and perseverance to get through the day-to-day tribulations. However, it only takes one wrong word, gesture, or action to ruin all the work done by the numerous people involved in campaigning. Just in watching recent news, I saw plenty of candidates, on both sides of the aisle, which have perfected the art of losing an election in America. From one Republican sending e-mails of women and animals in crude sexual acts, to a Democrat calling a rival candidate a "whore," these fine folks and many more have shown that no amount of money or manpower will save a campaign from the candidates themselves.

Political campaigns are notoriously expensive and stressful. Candidates have to get the attention of the public to ever hope to get a vote, but more and more candidates are getting the wrong kind of attention – and a lot of it. Usually the general public will completely forget about the months of stump speeches and baby-kissing that came before a candidate's major flaw in personal judgment. Electronic media and television are constantly updating the American public about which new family values proponent just got caught in an affair, or who said the most offensive thing on live T.V. this week.

Watching the news is always more entertaining around election season; each network dedicates at least a few news segments about politicians, Republican and Democrat, making complete asses of themselves. Turn to CNN and watch Anderson Cooper talking about how a democratic candidate, Jerry Browns, was recorded in a conversation calling a rival republican candidate, Meg Whitman, a "whore." Turn the channel to MSNBC and there is Keith Olberman sharing his views about republican candidate Sarah Palin's decision to read notes off of her hand, or about her new hobby of inventing words. Cable channels such as Comedy Central and HBO have popular shows whose hosts flaunt the bone-headed dealings of our American political figures. Christine O'Donnel had to release a campaign ad reputing that she was a witch because of statements she made almost twenty years ago on a late-night, political