Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 7, 1995 TAG: 9510070022
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAN CASEY AND MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Here's a closer look:
TITLE: "Choice"
WHEN: Running on Roanoke Valley radio stations since last week.
TEXT: Announcer: "We have a clear choice in the coming election for state senator. And let's be sure about it because John Edwards is already running a negative, misleading campaign against conservative Brandon Bell. Edwards is trying to shake his liberal record. How liberal? Well, in a recent debate Edwards said he favored federally run health care - meaning the government rations care and chooses your doctors. Brandon Bell says those are our choices to make. Edwards doesn't think parents should be notified if their 14- or 15-year-old daughter seeks an abortion. Brandon Bell says that's wrong. Edwards also takes thousands of dollars from his fellow personal injury trial lawyers and said we need more trial lawyers in the legislature. Brandon Bell says what's needed is legal reform to cut the frivolous lawsuits that are ruining families and businesses. Yes, the choice is clear. Liberal John Edwards or ... Brandon Bell - fighting for our conservative values and putting the Roanoke Valley first."
THE MESSAGE: Bell is trying to frame the Senate contest in the tried-and-true way Republicans did for the 1994 congressional elections: the good, "for-the-little-guy, family values," conservative Republican against the bad, "big-government-can-solve-it, everything-goes," liberal Democrat. It attempts to draw some clear distinctions between the two candidates on the so-called "hot-button" issues of abortions for minors and health care. And it casts trial lawyers (like Edwards) as evil while portraying Edwards as a captive of them. It also sets up Bell as a victim of unfair attacks by Edwards. What is very curious about this ad is what it doesn't say: Bell is the incumbent. There is a total absence of any mention of Bell's own record.
THE FACTS: On the campaign trail, Edwards certainly portrays himself as less conservative than Bell; however, Edwards doesn't have a "liberal" record as a member of City Council. The vast majority of his votes defy categorization. Bell went negative on the campaign trail long before his opponent (as he did in 1991), although Edwards seems to be catching up.
Bell himself accepted a $500 contribution from the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association in 1991 - which he decided to give back this year, at the time he decided to make Edwards' VTLA support an issue. Republican Gov. George Allen, by the way, accepted $21,550 from the trial lawyers both before and after his 1993 election, 10 times what Edwards has gotten from them. Bell hasn't uttered a peep of criticism about that. Bell has had four years in Richmond to promote so-called "legal reforms" but during his first term, he didn't introduce any legislation in that regard. And Edwards' statement to the Virginia Government Employees Association on health care "reform" made no mention of supporting rationed care or the government choosing "your doctors." He says he opposes both.
The trouble with triples
House of Delegates candidate Newell Falkinburg had some problems with his math this week - but he passed a makeup quiz.
The Republican candidate drew applause Monday night from a group of fellow physicians, developers and GOP leaders - including Gov. George Allen - when he repeated his erroneous claim that the state budget had grown "300 percent" since 1980.
Republican candidates are saying this "300 percent increase" in the state budget shows that Falkinburg's opponent, Del. Clifton "Chip" Woodrum, and other incumbent Democrats are liberal big spenders. Democrats counter that the budget increase reflects inflation and growth in the state's population.
The morning before Falkinburg's speech, The Roanoke Times had reported that Republicans are wrong when they say the state budget has increased 300 percent in that time. Actually, the increase is 182 percent.
It has grown from $5.7 billion to an estimated $16.1 billion this year.
Falkinburg says that means the budget has tripled. So that's a 300 percent increase, right?
"That's what tripled means," he told the folks at the fund-raising buffet.
Actually, when something triples, it increases 200 percent.
Afterward, a reporter approached Falkinburg to ask about this vexing math problem.
The reporter wrote the number "100" in his notebook, showed it to Falkinburg and asked him to triple it.
Falkinburg correctly answered, "300."
The reporter wrote that down and asked Falkinburg to compare the two figures. What was the percentage change? Falkinburg conceded that the change had been 200 percent, not 300 percent.
But, he said, "It's too late; I've said it." He paused a few moments and then said he wouldn't use the 300 percent figure anymore.
"I'll say three times from now on," he said.
Want to hear more?
Want to hear what the candidates have been saying? You can now listen to excerpts of two recent debates on InfoLine. One features state Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, and Democratic challenger John Edwards; the other involves Del. Jim Shuler, D-Blacksburg, and Republican challenger Larry Linkous.
Call InfoLine at 981-0100 in Roanoke or 382-0200 in the New River Valley and press category 8683 (VOTE).
What do you think?
Are the General Assembly candidates talking about the issues you're concerned with?
Let us know so we can follow up:
PHONE: In Roanoke, 981-0100. In New River, 382-0200. Press category 7824.
FAX: 981-3346.
E-MAIL:
roatimesinfi.net
WRITE: Dwayne Yancey, The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010.
Please include your name, address and phone number.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB