Bumper Sticker Illustrates My Problem With a Two-Party System

I saw today, for the first time, the bumper sticker that says, "I'd rather go hunting with Dick Cheney than riding with Ted Kennedy."

My question is, Do we have to make a choice? Should we just excuse one person because his political opponent did something worse? Yes, Chappaquiddick was worse than Cheney's hunting accident, but it also happened 29 years ago, and it certainly isn't reason enough to let Cheney off the hook.

I know it's just a sticker, but the Cheney-Kennedy line is indicative of a larger practice in this country: one of the two recognized political parties or ideologies avoids addressing legitimate questions and concerns about its actions or policies by drawing attention to the shortcomings of the competing party or ideology. A politician doesn't have to demonstrate that he or she is worthy of our vote or support; he or she simply has to convince the public that he or she is not as bad as his or her opponent. (That last sentence would be much smoother if English had a gender-neutral third-person pronoun.)