I don’t know who is getting paid how much to advise political candidates these days but allow me to say they are overpaid. My political science degree seems a waste of money. All the science in politics in this campaign comes down to this:
1. Attack the other person’s character, wife or husband (or lack thereof) and religion (or lack thereof).
2. Deny that you are now or ever will run a negative campaign, and become indignant at the mere suggestion.
3. When you get caught being negative, blame your opponent, the media and if necessary your own mother instead of taking responsibility for what you have said and done.
4. Whine a lot about being a victim.
In the end, the politicians have turned the high calling of public service into a high stakes middle school game of smearing each other. I, for one, am tired of it, and I said so yesterday during Politics Live, our new 10-minute a week live-streaming show on Tallahassee.com. The show is available on this link.
This week, we featured an interview with Cliff Thaell and Nick Maddox. If you missed it, it opened with me telling them both pointedly that I might not vote for either one of them.
Afterwards, Thaell said he was disappointed with the tone and questions of the interview, that he had come prepared to talk about budget and other issues.
Hell, I said, why start now?
So far, neither of them has talked about anything much except the other guy’s flaws – and make no mistake, that’s what their advisors are telling them to do. They care more about winning than they do democracy or public service. They simply cannot help themselves.
Go out and talk about some of the “issues” in the campaign and I’ll ask questions about them. But right now, it’s hard to get passed what Thaell called “the most negative campaign we’ve ever seen at the local level.” But, of course, he takes no responsibility for that, blaming Maddox.
Good grief. Just listen to yourself talk.
Take the issue of a member of the Democratic Party, Jon Ausman, making fliers that appeared to suggest the party endorsed Maddox and other African-American candidates over white Democrats. The fliers were distributed Sunday at black churches.
Thaell suggested after our show that Maddox might have paid Ausman to distribute the fliers. Then added, “I don’t know.”
So why did you say it, I asked?
Well, he said, he has to defend himself from such tactics. Later, Thaell told a reporter he’s been the victim of “dirty tricks.”
What I told Thaell is this: If I were in the business of giving political advice it would start like this: Run on your record. You’ve got 16 years of things you should be proud to talk about. Why are you talking so much about the other guy?
You’ve had 16 years to accomplish something and to make decisions that have upset some people. That is either your great strength or your weakness.
Former NFL Coach Bill Parcells didn’t want to make excuses for his team of superstars not performing up to expectations.
“You are what your record says you are,” Parcells said.
Let me add this to the whole bunch running for office: Quit whining and run on your record. Then go fire the political advisers telling you anything different. You’ll feel better about yourself in the end.
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