O’Reilly: Too Much at Stake for 2016 Election to Become a ‘Smear-Fest’

"Talking Points laments the haters on both sides. Smearing anyone should be unacceptable. In the upcoming presidential campaign, the Republican candidates surely will point out where they differ with President Obama and by proxy Hillary Clinton. One of Mrs. Clinton's challenges is deciding whether to repudiate some of Mr. Obama's policies. Is she going to do that?  Interesting dilemma.

If she doesn't, the Republicans certainly have an opportunity to put Hillary Clinton on the defensive. But any Republican candidate who says personal things about either the president or Mrs. Clinton will be making a tremendous mistake. The haters on both the Left and the Right make a lot of noise and they get a lot of attention. But most Americans don't like that kind of stuff. Once in a while a takedown is necessary. But to make a living out of gutter sniping -- ticket to defeat. Right now America is in a bad place. We are weak overseas and the economy is still mainly rewarding the wealthy. President Obama has had six years to improve that situation and in my opinion he has failed to do so.

That's an objective analysis based upon facts, not a personal attack. And here's a final fact. I've had discussions with both George w. Bush and Barack Obama. They see the world very differently but they both have absorbed tremendous punishment in order to serve their country. I respect that and hope that the upcoming presidential campaign will not be a smear-fest. There's too much at stake for that to happen."