"Politics ain't beanbag," goes the old retort to those who complain about harsh political campaigning. But being too harsh can backfire if it upsets people who'd been sitting on the fence or energizes those who are being attacked.

"The Flat Earth Discussion Group," a campaign ad parody of anti-fracking activists, is an example of going too far.

Yes, the fringe of anti-fracking activists has little interest in factual evidence or the opinions of government scientists. But anti-fracking bans didn't pass in several communities because most voters fit that description. Most, emphatically, did not.

This fall, it's possible that two constitutional amendments will appear on the ballot to curb oil and gas drilling. And while there are plenty of adult-level arguments that can be mustered against them, neither can be equated with Flat Earth looniness.

Yet an ad by the Environmental Policy Alliance opens with the Flat Earth Discussion Group leader saying, "Last week's meeting on whether the moon is actually made of cheese was very enlightening." And the 60-second spot continues in that vein.

Thankfully, the Environmental Policy Alliance is not part of the main coalition that will fight to defeat the amendments, and its ad probably represents an outlier. And yet this isn't the only instance of an opponent of the amendments stooping to caricature.

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Tim Wigley, president of the Western Energy Alliance, told an audience at the recent Western Conservative Summit that those collecting signatures for the measures were "long-haired, maggot-infested hippie freaks."

Fortunately, the "nervous laughter" that greeted his tasteless gibe suggests it failed to play well even in that highly ideological crowd.

Climb to a higher ground, guys.