Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008 - (Page 48)

Ask The Campaign Doc Craig Varoga The High Road Rita Nakashima Brock Does Your Theme Song Hit the Right Note? Q: We need a theme song for our candidate’s announcement and then for the campaign itself. I’d appreciate your take on what works and anything we should avoid. A: Most campaign songs are upbeat and have patriotic themes (“God Bless the U.S.A.,’’ Should Spouses Be on the Front Lines? Q: What do you think about candidates who use their spouses as surrogates to say things they themselves aren’t willing to take the heat for saying? A: The problem is not with the spouse; it’s with using someone else to take the penalty for the candidate’s opinions. No campaign worker should be used this way. A spouse, in particular, creates the perception that we are hearing the candidate’s private thinking, but the ethical issues apply across the board to any surrogate used this way. The surrogate strategy is unethical, and though not a technical ethical term, it strikes me as “weasely.” If a surrogate says something reﬂective of the candidate’s opinions and a ﬁrestorm ensues, the candidate should have the courage to accept responsibility for holding that position. Without evidence of such courage, the candidate may ﬁnd the public wishing the spouse were running instead. Q: Is it appropriate for a candidate to plant questions at campaign appearances? A: Campaign appearances are political theater. They are orchestrated to portray candidates at their best and are staged as media events. Sometimes the audience is prescreened to eliminate any serious challenges to the candidate by his or her opponents. It is not unethical to plant questions. The staged questions can guarantee that the candidate has an opportunity to provide answers that put him or her in the best light. It is unethical, however, to stage an event in such a way as to pretend that all questions are spontaneous and unscripted; deliberate deception is dishonest. Fake spontaneity is deception. Given the inanity (boxers or briefs?) of some questions and the challenges of turning a bad question into a good answer on the spot, I must confess I’d welcome someone standing up and saying, “I’ve agreed with your staff to ask this question about [health care, climate change, the war or any number of issues more important than jewelry choices] because this is an important concern to many Americans and they should know where you stand on it.” Dr. Rita Nakashima Brock is founding co-director of Faith Voices for the Common Good, and a past fellow at the Harvard Divinity School Center for Values in Public Life. “Born in the USA,” “Coming to America”), are momentum-building (“Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now”), are future-oriented (“High Hopes,” “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow,” “Beautiful Day”), feature character references (“Tuff Enough,” “I Won’t Back Down”) or offer re-election rationales (“You Ain’t Seen Nothin’Yet,” “Still the One”). Beware of songs with problematic titles or lyrics, such as “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (George McGovern’s theme song in 1972—not exactly strong or upbeat) or “Crazy” (Ross Perot’s 1992 bid used this song, which offended mental-health advocates). And then there’s “Peace of Mind,” which a Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate chose as a theme song in 2006 despite its off-message lyrics, including “I understand about indecision” and “I don’t care if I get behind.” Q: What are the standard policies at news organizations on including third-party candidates in televised and other major debates? A: There are no blanket policies on third-party inclusion at candidate debates and forums.As the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently noted,“On one hand, giving voters a look at all candidates seems fair. On the other hand, if a candidate has no chance of winning, their presence on the stage could be a distraction.” In general, frontrunners like multi-candidate events, since that format reduces stage time for challengers who might pose a real threat. Conversely, challengers often prefer one-on-one venues because concentrated ﬁreworks have the potential to explode the leads of incumbents or frontrunners. Q: How do we get our candidate’s name on the ballot for a federal ofﬁce? A: You should contact the U.S. Secretary of State or appropriate election of- ﬁce in your state for more information.The FEC provides guides to state ofﬁces (http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/cfsdd/cfsdd.shtml) and to ballot deadlines for federal races (http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2008pdates.pdf). Just remember that dates and state-speciﬁc information are subject to change. Q: I’m on the staff of a legislator, and last night over dinner and drinks he indicated that he would like me to use his public ofﬁce’s account to mail postcards that might persuade swing voters to support his re-election. Frankly, I don’t like the idea of using taxpayer money to promote the campaign. Can you help me? A: Legitimate constituent services include public notiﬁcations and assistance regarding Social Security, Medicare, the IRS, veterans’ health care, citizenship applications, etc. Problematic use of public funds include self-promotional holiday cards to targeted voters, overt campaign messages in “public service announcements,” the use of government vehicles or security personnel when attending political functions, etc. If you have doubts, consult a campaign-ﬁnance or public-ethics attorney. If it’s a close call, err on the side of caution—don’t do it. If your boss won’t stand down, update your resume, look for a new job and ﬁnd someone different for dinner and drinks. Craig Varoga is partner at Independent Strategies (www.IndependentStrategies.com). E-mail questions to cvaroga@IndependentStrategies.com. 48 Politics January 2008 http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/cfsdd/cfsdd.shtml http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/2008pdates.pdf http://www.IndependentStrategies.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008

Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008 Contents GOP Retirement Woes Getting Girls to Think Politics Movers & Shakers: Karen Hanretty If I Had It To Do Over: Mike McCurry Eve Fairbanks Column Cover Story: Mike Huckabee Hopping the Pond GOP: The Next Generation 5 “Truths” About Women Voters Reds & Blues: States in the Spotlight High Road/Campaign Doc Bookshelf Dick Morris Column John Zogby Column Techbytes Playbook Coming & Going: Who's Where Campaign Sign-ups Marketplace Quips & Slips

Campaigns and Elections' Politics - January 2008

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