For those who are not familiar with Dr Jamieson, she is one of the minds behind FactCheck.org, the website that verifies and debunks various political statements. She spent about an hour going over a series of campaign tactics most of us have become accustomed to over the years. Here's the list...
It was a very interesting depiction of what it might be like if Abraham Lincoln had run for re-election against some of today's political consulting tactics. (Incidentally, the blank one in the second column is Diversion. Slide from Kathleen Jamieson Davidson Col Presentation)All the classics were represented as you can see.
The presentation was in support of a new effort called FlackCheck.org. The project is an attempt to enlist the general public in an effort to "encourage" station managers to not run blatantly false or deceptive TV and Radio adds.
Two of the more interesting points came up during the Q &A after the presentation. She pointed out that Super PAC money this year will be like TARP for TV stations. Super PACs pay the top add rates while the candidate's campaigns often get steep discounts. Station managers will have a difficult time turning away that revenue - even if the add is suspect.
The second point brings me to that email I mentioned. Someone asked about other political activities that may not be so easy to push back on when they cross the line - think robo calls, emails, web adds. Those often involve micro-targeting of recipients to gain the most impact and since they aren't widely seen, they often go unnoticed. Last night saw a classic case of this kind of micro-targeting.
Waiting for me in my inbox was the first of what I'm sure will be many hardball tactics in the NC-09 race to replace Sue Myrick. I'm not going to re-post it here because I don't want to give it more circulation, but if you happen to be active in Republican circles you likely got it. I asked several people today, and they all received it.
The general gist was this...It called Jim Pendergraph a RINO because he used to be a Democrat. It then jumped the shark by questioning his public service over the years. For me, that's where it crossed the line.
Yes, Mr Pendergraph used to be a Democrat, and he won't get my vote in the Republican primary because of that. However, the man has been a long-time public servant in law enforcement and twisting that into a negative simply because it's a taxpayer funded job is ridiculous. Would the emailer say the same if the person was career military or a fireman? How about a prosecutor? It was a perfect example of "If the Truth Hurts, Don’t Exaggerate It"
This campaign season is going to be a looooong one.
"Jamieson takes aim at ugly side of political campaigns" - DavidsonNews.net
and another opinion...
"On Negative Advertising" - Carolina Politics Online
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