idioms - Does ‘Hit a new low’ have the meaning other than ‘number’ and ‘record’?


I saw an article titled “Obama Campaign Says Mitt Romney Is Either a Crook or a Liar” in July 13 Time magazine. The article reports that Mitt Romney’s campaign manager, Matt Rhoades has demanded President Obama to apologize for his senior campaign adviser, Stephaney Cutter’s calling Romney a potential crook. It read;



“Matt Rhoades said: President Obama’s campaign hit a new low today when one of its senior advisers made a reckless and unsubstantiated charge to reporters about Mitt Romney that was so over the top that it calls into question the integrity of their entire campaign. President Obama ought to apologize for the out-of-control behavior of his staff, which demeans the office he holds.”



I am interested in the specific usage of “hit a new low” in the above quote. My understanding of the idiom, “hit a new low (high)” is it regards “numerical” record such as the prices of stocks, oil, sales, and poll numbers. But here it seems to be suggesting “the lowest possible debasing demeanors” of Obama campaign that went over the top.


Is it metaphoric expression? Can “hit a new low (high)” be used in the context other than number and numerical records?




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