Barnes and Deal play petty politics instead of talking policy

This year's gubernatorial race continues the trend of negative campaign ads, with the most vicious attacks coming in the final weeks until November. Local newspapers are trying to counter them with their "truth-o-meters" (will be interesting to see if the public scrutiny tempers negative ads in future campaign cycles). The conventional wisdom is that these negative attacks work, which is why candidates invest so much money into them. The success comes in large measure from diminishing citizen confidence in elected officials over time and lessening the desire to vote more each cycle. Is it possible then, for candidates to lessen voter appeal for their opponent without being personal or partisan and focusing on the real issues people care about (and policy proposals to solve them)?

Let's take the case of Democrat Roy Barnes' attacks on Republican Nathan Deal's well-publicized financial woes. Should the inability to manage personal finances raise questions about fitness to tackle the state's budget? Yes. Does the appearance of a Congressman getting sweetheart financial deals in personal business matters lead many voters to the conclusion of  “politics as usual?” Yes.  

I know, I know. Political consultants and politicians will tell you that negative ads work and Barnes is taking the right approach by pointing out these failings to voters in the most direct terms possible. The logic goes that these ads fire up the most committed voters (ensuring they turn out at the polls) while diminishing the appetite for others to vote. I am all for firing up the base. But it is the increasing number of people turning away from the electoral process that concerns me. These citizens are growing tired of negative ads. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times – people want solutions to the problems in their lives, not rhetoric and partisanship. But that’s mostly what they receive and are giving up on elected officials as a result, seeking other opportunities to make a difference in local communities.

Young people are particularly concerned. According to a recent Rock the Vote poll, “an overwhelming majority (83 percent) still say they believe their generation has the power to change our country, yet 59 percent say they feel more cynical about politics than they did two years ago.”

So let’s return to the Governor Barnes example. What could he do differently to critique Nathan Deal and the Republicans in a direct, stinging manner that is based upon issues and not petty politics? I call it the “Georgia Mushroom Cloud Ad.”

Political junkies and Baby Boomers will recall the nuclear bomb “Daisy Ad” President Johnson ran in 1964. The ad was so shocking at the time that it was run once and then never saw the light of day again. But the message was sent loud and clear – “I am the candidate who will keep you safe from nuclear attack.” It was issues politics in a manner that literally blew through the clutter. 

Now imagine the following Roy Barnes ad:

Camera pans in on a south Georgia farm that is empty, filled with tumbleweeds as words fill the screen (with voiceover) pointing out how Republicans (in control of all levels of Georgia government) failed to create comprehensive plans to manage the state's water. At the same time, we lost ground in the tri-state water wars, putting the case in Congressional hands and possibly meaning less water for our state – impacting availability of potable water, diminishing development, etc.  

The camera then moves to a classroom and kids in complete anarchy because no teacher is around to provide discipline or direct their learning. Add a voiceover and words filling the screen pointing out how Republicans were in charge of government during teacher furloughs and the drive for fewer days of actual classroom instruction – the lowest since the 1960s.

The camera then pans to a metro Atlanta highway that looks like a literal parking lot with a voiceover and words on screen pointing out that the Georgia General Assembly failed to pass effective, comprehensive transportation reform the past eight years and only approved a measure this session which will have little impact until voters decide on plans in 2012. 

The ad ends with the camera panning to a highway sign that reads, "the last person out of Georgia, please turn the lights out." 

The point for voters is that the issues they care about, and those that will impact our quality of life and ability to sustain an economy against Southern competitors, were not addressed the last eight years of Republican leadership. Do you want more failed policies or prefer getting Georgia back on track? These ads would allow Barnes to "attack" and be critical but actually outline the issues we face in Georgia, not just the same old financial deals voters expect from their elected leaders anyway – Barnes’ seemingly only point of differentiation in ads. 

Barnes’ ads are more of the same and will continue to harden voters’ cynical attitudes towards the political process and their feelings that politicians don’t care about bettering our lives. And ultimately, these ads and the ones produced by Deal will ensure voter turnout continues to remain low as demonstrated by the 21 percent participation in this July’s Primary Elections. Barnes and Deal fail to provide concrete proposals of how they would solve these critical issues and instead leave more Georgians disenchanted with politics, turning them away from the civic process.

Take action today by signing this petition that calls upon politicians to “talk policy and not petty politics!”