Campaign Excesses in the Final Week

In the closing days of the presidential and New York Senate races, controversy has erupted over the negative tone and tactics employed by candidates and their campaign strategists. Vice President Al Gore and Gov. George W. Bush have engaged in sharp exchanges, each accusing the other of lacking experience or integrity. Meanwhile, in the New York Senate contest, Representative Rick Lazio's attacks on Hillary Rodham Clinton have been criticized for their desperation and extreme tone. While some campaign tactics have been seen as unacceptable, they are a standard feature of the final week of most campaigns.

Key Takeaways:

• The Gore campaign has been criticized for its negative tone, with some attacks being seen as hyperbolic and in bad taste.
• The Bush campaign has been criticized for running an ad featuring Ralph Nader's attacks on the vice president's environmental record, which the Gore campaign sees as fair game.
• An independent pro-Bush group's ad was deemed an unjustified smear and the Bush campaign was right to ask for its withdrawal.
• Representative Rick Lazio's attacks on Hillary Rodham Clinton have been criticized for their desperation and extreme tone, with accusations of terrorism and condoning extremism.
• Lazio's assertion that he had nothing to do with misleading telephone attacks was not convincing.
• The New York Republican Party was criticized for conducting an intemperate telephone campaign that sounded like an opinion poll and misled recipients.
• A rule of thumb in attack politics is that advertising sponsors should always be identified and candidates must be accountable for the actions of their official supporters.

Statistics:

• According to a recent New York Times/CBS News poll, 61% of New Yorkers are more inclined to accept an outsider as senator, which is a setback for Representative Lazio's campaign.
• The Gore campaign's negative tone has resulted in several criticisms, with some attacks being seen as hyperbolic and in bad taste on 4 separate occasions.

Sources:

• "Campaign Excesses in the Final Week," The New York Times Editorial, October 23, 2000
• "The Daily News," October 18, 2000
• "New York Times/CBS News poll," October 20, 2000