Is a candidate defined by her or his supporters?

[Nuclear Unicorn]

Or can their message be separated out?

I would tend to think that if the supporters are angry, vitriolic and grasping for every despicable rumor to float down the pike to hang around the neck of the opposition, perhaps the candidate is drawing the wrong sort of supporters.

Of course there is the age-old "guilt by association" fallacy.

Do we judge a candidate on their own merits or do their supporters factor in?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Maybe not "defined," exactly, but you can sure learn a lot

about candidates by looking at who supports them. If "the supporters are angry, vitriolic and grasping for every despicable rumor to hang around the neck of the opposition" the reason is probably that there's something about the candidate and/or their position on issues that attracts people who are angry and vitriolic. Exhibit A: Sarah Palin. She used extreme, sometimes violent (often incoherent) imagery when she spoke, and she attracted the worst of the knuckle-dragging teabaggers. Lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

[StarryNight]

3. same applies to Obama. he was perceived as being much further left than he actually was,

because of the supporters he attracted.

[StarryNight]

2. Right or wrong, yes. nt