For those old enough to remember... Doesn't this whole thing reek of the Dukakis campaign of 1988?

Rs hurling massive slime in vicious attacks, and Dukakis was the better man, calm, staying positive, polite, decent, never struck back, and lost in a landslide. Dukakis was a great candidate btw. He was way ahead in the summer. Bush had lotsa disadvantages (scandal, his nickname was The Wimp, voters don't give the same party a third term too often)

But Bush's barrage of negative ads captured the narrative, defined Dukakis & crushed him.