Negative campaigning isn’t as easy as it looks. We think it’d be better for candidates on the Nov. 7 ballot to show respect for one another and focus on the issues that make this year’s election so compelling.
But if you must go to the dark side, our advice is to get your facts right.
Imagine for a moment that you’re Rick O’Donnell. The 7th Congressional District candidate claimed recently that his opponent, Democrat Ed Perlmutter, represented an insurance firm in a legal case and profited “from one of the worst corporate interests in America at the expense of elderly and disabled policyholders.”
Not. Perlmutter, it turns out, actually helped recover money in 1991 for the policyholders of Los Angeles-based Executive Life Insurance. He was working on behalf of the little guy – or the policyholders, anyway – and not at their expense.
Unfortunately, the image of Perl- mutter ripping off innocent seniors may have gelled in some voters’ minds, which, of course, just might be why O’Donnell’s campaign was so cavalier with the facts in the first place.
The Colorado Democratic Party has gone so far as to request the local district attorney take legal action against O’Donnell for violating state law “governing smear attacks and false accusations in political races.” (Colorado DAs would have to work 24/7 if they start prosecuting every politician who mangled their propaganda.)
We’d settle for a simple apology. Made a mistake, Ed – very sorry.
Things change fast on the campaign trail, and now O’Donnell is complaining about a dubious attack ad by a 527 committee named Too Extreme for Colorado.
The ad claims O’Donnell wants to “privatize” Social Security, something he suggested years ago while working in Washington but now disavows. (In a news release, O’Donnell’s campaign manager K.C. Jones went negative in the most unsual way – describing O’Donnell as “a misguided 24-year-old kid” when he made that suggestion.) O’Donnell has asked TV stations to pull the ad.
The temptation in negative campaigning is to stretch the facts. The content isn’t always wrong, but more often misleading. It is a matter of voter beware.
In the hotly competitive state Senate District 5 battle between incumbent GOP Sen. Lew Entz and Democrat Gail Schwartz, the Democratic 527 Moving Colorado Forward has been running an ad with a photo of Entz napping at his desk in the Senate. The ad implied that Entz is too old or too tired to serve. We know him as a hard-working and effective lawmaker, no matter if he was dozing for a moment or not. (Entz said the photo was taken during a break, not during official business. Democrats say the photo clearly shows work going on behind him.)
Perlmutter and O’Donnell are locked into a ferocious race that has national and local implications. They are both solid citizens whose public service is a matter of proud record. They ought to respect one another and stick to the issues.
We suggest Iraq, the environment, economic and fiscal policy, Medicare, homeland security, No Child Left Behind, stem-cell research, immigration, Osama bin Laden and, yes, Social Security.
By debating issues and policy, these candidates – and many others – can elevate the quality of Colorado’s political discourse and demonstrate leadership. As a bonus, DAs can focus on violent crime, abusive spouses and meth labs.
This past week, we were glad to see new campaign ads for O’Donnell and Perlmutter that emphasize their considerable strengths. That makes an evening of TV more palatable.
We’re at an important point in our nation’s history, and a congressional campaign of such significance should reflect the gravity of our times.
