DATE: Sunday, July 27, 1997                 TAG: 9707250043

SECTION: COMMENTARY              PAGE: J4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Editorial

                                            LENGTH:   55 lines

GOVERNOR'S RACE HIGH-TECH TRIVIALITIES

At last week's gubernatorial campaign debate in White Sulphur Springs, the words were scarcely off one candidate's lips before handlers for his opponent were pushing computer buttons and printing out reams of response.

The combination of modern technology and traditional campaign hype was enough to turn Bill Gates into a Luddite.

Time was when campaign managers and other spin-doctors lined up at the door after a political event to impart their version of who'd won or lost. No more. At White Sulphur Springs, reporters were scribbling notes from the ongoing debate with one hand, while collecting press releases with headlines such as ``Don Beyer: The Great Pretender'' or ``Gilmore wrong on Beyer tax record'' with the other.

The most sophisticated effort belonged to Republican James S. Gilmore III. His handouts - all bearing lyrics from The Platters' song, ``The Great Pretender'' - offered side-by-side comparisons of what Democrat Donald S. Beyer said ``yesterday'' on such topics as the personal-property tax and welfare and what he'd just uttered ``today.''

Never mind that there sometimes didn't seem to be much difference. The format alone made it appear that Beyer was waffling.

The trouble with this ``information'' barrage - as with some of what the candidates said during the debate - is that it obfuscates records and positions as much as it illuminates them.

When individuals have spent as much time in the public arena as Gilmore and Beyer, it's always possible to unearth a quote that - especially when taken out of context - misrepresents the candidate's true position.

It takes restraint on the part of a candidate to accurately portray his opponent's record. And, unfortunately, restraint is in short supply in modern campaigns.

Two examples of misrepresentations in White Sulphur Springs:

Don Beyer on Jim Gilmore: ``Someone who has consistently stood against education progress in Virginia.''

That's ridiculous. Gilmore has not endorsed as much education spending as Beyer over the years, but as the husband of a schoolteacher and the father of two boys in public schools, he has a longstanding concern for educational quality.

Jim Gilmore on Don Beyer: ``Don Beyer pretends that he's for welfare reform, but he didn't support George Allen's welfare reform.''

In fact, Beyer worked long and hard for welfare reform. While his plan differed from Allen's in some particulars, the fact that such a prominent Democrat supported the concept contributed mightily to the enactment of the new law.

Such misrepresentations aren't new in campaigns. Unfortunately, the ability to hawk them far and wide in the zillioneth of a second is. Virginians deserve a dialogue on the issues confronting the state. They are getting dueling sound bites, rapid-response faxes, zingers and half-truths. This isn't any way to run for governor - or to choose one.

Send Suggestions or Comments to webmaster@scholar.lib.vt.edu