<human>: Can you give me the gist of the text in a nutshell?

It obviously looks very bad for the person doing the smearing (aka, all the campaigning against Romney). Obviously, someone who doesn't approve of Romney's ideas does not need further convincing. But when did all the bashing and negative political ads begin, and why is that an allowed and acceptable way of advertising?

Personally, I think it is childish, immature, unprofessional, and aggravating, and really low. Now the other campaigner has to pay for another advertisement, or spend time in a speech, clearing up twisted information about the other. I just don't think it should be allowed. I'm getting so tired of hearing "When Mitt Romney dismissed thousdands of Americans for not pulling their weight, he attacked..." I just tune out the second I here that guy's voice and the "when" at the beginning of his sentence. I'm sick of hearing the Obama campaign bashing Romeny, even though I myself don't like Romney as a candidate.

That turned into something way longer than I intended it.
<bot>: why is this whole smear campaigning, bashing each other in advertisements and such, an acceptable and practiced way of political advertising, and when did it start? I don't remember this happening 4 years ago.