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Schieffer: 2016 campaign "like a thread on a blog post"

CBS News' Bob Schieffer has covered every presidential election since 1968
Bob Schieffer on the unusual 2016 presidential race 01:47

Primary campaigns are like weddings. They bring out the best and worst in families.

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CBS News

If this campaign were a wedding, we would be about halfway through the weird uncle's long, unfunny and embarrassing rehearsal dinner toast.

The difference here is all the participants in this campaign appear to be stone cold sober, which may be the scariest part of all.

People are madder than ever, and the partisan divide wider than ever. We're seeing a campaign reflecting the changes in our culture brought on by social media -- nasty, illogical, ill-tempered, strong on attitude, and light on issues.

Too many times, people have arrived at this wedding with not just opinions but their own set of facts.

The campaign narrative has gone from inane to profane -- more like a thread on a blog post than usual campaign rhetoric.

"You're a jerk", "Well, you're a bigger jerk", "No, you're a blank, blank jerk." Inspirational? Not just yet.

But there is light at the end of the church. In Iowa, as the candidates finally began their long walk down the aisle of caucuses and primaries, we finally started to hear from another group: the voters.

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