
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 12, 1995                   TAG: 9510120071
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                LENGTH: Medium

REPUBLICANS DROP OUT WHEN SIMPSON DOES

Tom Brokaw and Katie Couric weren't the only people disappointed by O.J. Simpson's sudden withdrawal from a national television interview Wednesday.

Republican legislative candidates had planned to use Simpson's much-awaited appearance on NBC's "Dateline" to unveil a commercial in Roanoke and Norfolk accusing Democrats of obstructing the goals of Gov. George Allen.

The GOP quickly pulled the ad from "Dateline" after learning Simpson had changed his plans.

"The idea is to get as many people as possible to watch the ad," said Scott Leake, executive director of the General Assembly's Joint Republican Caucus. When Simpson dropped out, he said, a GOP media consultant decided that "the cost of going on `Dateline' just wasn't worth it."

Instead, the GOP will try to buy prime-time slots to air the commercial in Virginia during the major league baseball playoffs this week. Despite the Simpson flap, the commercial was to debut Wednesday in many areas of the state - including Roanoke and Norfolk - during local newscasts.

The Republicans had planned to launch the spot Wednesday before they knew about the Simpson interview. When Simpson's plans to go public were announced earlier this week, Leake said the GOP snapped up 30 seconds of airtime just prior to the start of "Dateline" because "half the state would be watching."

The commercial contains split-screen footage of House of Delegates Speaker Thomas Moss, D-Norfolk, pounding a gavel on the left and President Clinton pounding his fist on a podium on the right with Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., looking on.

"Democrats have said `no' to George Allen's agenda," an announcer says. "No to tax and spending cuts, no to giving lottery profits to localities, no to keeping violent criminals in prison." The announcer urges viewers to vote for Republicans.

Democrats have opposed Allen's tax cuts and lottery plans, arguing that they would come at the expense of education funding. But it may be a bit of hyperbole to say Democrats oppose keeping violent criminals in prison. Democrats supported Allen's 1994 effort to abolish parole, but they let Allen borrow only a fourth of the $409 million he sought earlier this year to build prisons.

by CNB