There is a key word in the heading of this post. And it is the very first word. While no-one I have seen in my brief time here has made this claim, there is an underlying notion that because an opponent has been unkind, unfair, cruel, then that demonstrates that the whole candidacy supported by my opponent is unkind, unfair and cruel (along with, of course, many of their supporters, with a few exceptions — obviously I am not talking about you, but all the other supporters of Y are ...).

Any particular individual is NOT representative of the whole, no matter how much you deep down would like them to be. Further, if you focus on the nasty individuals, you will not see the gentler ones. And even with the gentler ones, the fact that you disagree with them will automatically ensure that you see the negative things in their posts as unkind, unfair or cruel.

How about that instead of looking for the worst in our opponents we look for the best? And not just the snarky best; the real best. If you can see the nobility in your enemy, you will be demonstrating yours.