THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 12, 1995 TAG: 9511100604
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J1 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: In the Cities
SOURCE: BY MIKE KNEPLER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 85 lines
Richard Giddes belongs to the new breed of angry voters: They're fed up with negative political campaigns and advertisements.
Although Giddes is disgusted, he doesn't let nasty politics break his longtime voting habit. But he worries for younger generations.
``It's not good for kids to see this kind of thing. Maybe it's one of the reasons kids treat each other they way they do,'' said Giddes, 68, a Virginia Beach retiree.
While some citizens write disapproving letters to candidates who conducted negative campaigning, Giddes offers this idea:
``Maybe we should have a town meeting to tell the politicians how we feel, have some sort of local confrontation with them.''
Not bad. But instead of scolding after a campaign, how about holding forums at the start?
There's another value in such proactive public work: When voters firmly - not angrily - tell candidates what's expected of them, it helps reestablish citizens as true owners of politics, reclaiming the ground from candidates, campaign handlers and media consultants.
As reinforcement, each candidate could be asked to sign a voluntary code of campaign conduct. If they don't, that too sends a message.
The code of conduct could be developed by a grass-roots coalition, including the League of Women Voters and civic leagues. Advertising agencies could donate their creativity for public-service media campaigns promoting the standards and publicizing lists of candidates who signed on - or did not.
Brainstorming about these ideas already has generated enthusiasm.
Barbara Ballard, president of the League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads, said her group would consider being a sponsor.
Locally, the League helped monitor televised political ads in 1993 and 1994. In recent years, leagues in other states have organized a citizen hotline for complaints about negative ads and developed a ``code of fair campaign practices'' for candidates, Ballard said.
Dean Goldman, president of the Norfolk-based Goldman & Associates advertising firm, would be willing to donate efforts to a code-of-conduct campaign. He likened it to voluntary standards of ethics for professionals such as accountants, physicians and lawyers.
This year, he did not seek political accounts because of their demands on time and emotions. ``It's very debilitating,'' he said. ``It's not that you're telling lies . . . It's channeling creative energies into something with a negative focus . . . that people don't like to hear.''
Goldman suggests forming a broad working coalition that includes ad agencies, political consultants and the media.
Politicians just might sign a code.
George Schaefer III, Norfolk Republican chairman, and Jon Babineau, leader of the city's Democrats, would welcome a code - although both recognize the effectiveness of negative campaigns.
``Many candidates would like the idea of some structure like this. Many candidates fear negative ads against them. They also fear having to do negative campaigns'' that risk possible backfire, Schaefer said. ``Almost everybody would like to put an end to this. It gets out of control. It would be nice if someone put the brakes on it.''
A conduct code would free candidates to concentrate on real issues, he said. Those who refuse to participate would be publicly shamed.
``It would be like wearing a `Scarlet N' on your chest for `Negative Campaigner,' '' Schaefer said.
Babineau, too, says ``politics has gotten to be such a nasty business. It wasn't designed ever to turn into a sleaze-fest of who could turn up the most grime on the other guy.
``It's not uniquely a Republican thing or a Democratic thing. Both parties are guilty.''
A code of conduct will encounter pitfalls. It's hard work to define what's out-of-bounds while preserving aggressive and spirited debate.
An effort in Minnesota fell apart this month. Republicans contended that a code would benefit incumbents. The Democratic chairman countered: ``We're not going to unilaterally disarm ourselves.''
Said Babineau: ``That's the problem. Everything is tit-for-tat. That's what discourages me from politics.''
If a code of conduct is given a fair chance, he said, candidates eventually will make it standard practice.
``But the energy to do this,'' he said, ``has to come from the public.''
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