Forget Campaign Finances—Deceit Is the Problem

Thursday, March 7, 2002

Page 7

AFFAIRS OF STATE (Column)

Forget Campaign Finances—Deceit Is the Problem

By DAVID KLINE

There’s nothing wrong with hard-hitting campaigning, or large campaign contributions from single donors or candidates who spend huge wads of their own cash to run for office. As long as voters know who sponsors each ad, who donates the money and who spends the money, they can make informed decisions and democracy is safe.

The real problem with modern politics—and the most troubling aspect of the just-ended primaries—is intentional deception. A substantial number of politicians, activist groups and consultants appear to have decided that winning is all that matters, and the truth shouldn’t be allowed to stand in the way.

This year’s most blatant example of deceit came from the campaign of Dean Andal, a Stockton Republican running for the office of state controller. Andal’s campaign told voters that his main opponent, state Sen. Tom McClintock, voted against tax cuts for car-owners and seniors, and even opposed welfare reform.

Now, Andal has served with McClintock in the Legislature, so he knows better than anyone that these charges are grossly deceptive. McClintock hates every tax he’s ever seen, and he votes accordingly. Yes, he voted against a handful of bills that would have reduced taxes and changed welfare, but it’s well known that the reason he did so was because he was holding out for even larger tax cuts and more significant reforms. Not only did McClintock support the car tax reduction, he was the driving force behind the legislation which eventually enacted the cut.

Another example of gross deception came from the “Yes on Proposition 45” campaign. The initiative was written and bankrolled by liberals in an effort to weaken the current term limits, but they marketed the measure to conservatives as an anti-Willie Brown initiative. In truth, the backers of Proposition 45 love Willie Brown, and they’d be happy to have him back in the Legislature. But for the purposes of the campaign, they pretended to be his enemies.

Slate mailers are the biggest purveyors of misinformation. They exist for the sole purpose of deceiving people into casting votes they wouldn’t offer if they were fully informed.

The typical slate mailer has a headline showing the name of the organization which produced it—something like “Conservatives for Smaller Government and Lower Taxes.” Then, there is a list of candidates and ballot measures ostensibly supported by the organization, along with a note telling the recipient to “take this voter guide to the polls.”

Many voters are unaware that these mailers are compiled based not on political ideology, but on who paid for his or her name or initiative to be listed. So the “Conservatives for Smaller Government” are very likely to recommend voting for tax-and-spenders and bond measures that will increase the size and cost of government. The people who produce the slates know they are preying on the voters’ trust—or ignorance—but they don’t care.

It’s sad, really. We have the means to conduct noble, educational campaigns. Candidates could use the Internet, television, radio and newspapers to explain why they should hold public office, and to engage in debates and meaningful discussions. Instead, many are using every available avenue to trick people into voting against their own interests.

Whether the deceptive practices expand depends on how the voters respond. Those who educate themselves by closely following government activity all year round are likely to reject deceitful candidates, but people who get their news from campaign ads and late-night comedians might be too stupid to realize they’re being duped, and they’ll support the very candidates who are playing them for fools. As long as the latter population grows, so will the popularity of deceptive campaigning.

— Capitol News Service