Staunton News Leader Condemns Allen's "Slew of Filth-Slinging Attack Ads"

By: Leaves on the Current
Published On: 10/8/2006 8:51:50 PM

Good for the Staunton News-Leader.  In a strongly worded editorial today, it takes Sen. Allen sharply to task for mounting "a slew of filth-slinging attack ads produced by that master of political sewage Scott Howell."

Focusing on the bait-and-switch attending Allen's vaunted two-minute ad last week, the paper's editors condemn him for the cynical discrepancy between his repeated calls for "an invigorating, issues-driven debate" and his actual practice of "sleazy political attack ads."

That hypocrisy, of course, was exemplified in the infamous Macaca Moment, when the senator turned seamlessly from a pious vow to focus on issues to words of racist derision.

"If Sen. Allen wishes to embrace reform and decry personal attacks," they conclude, "he's got to embrace that stance with both arms. He can't just give reform a pat on the head, smile for the cameras and then ride off into the sunset. That's not reform; it's just dirty politics dressed up with a coat of fresh paint."

As the editors themselves say:  Amen to that!
[From the Staunton News-Leader

We would beg to differ with Allen about some of the allegations made against him being "baseless," but we honestly don't expect him to play directly into his opponent's hands. Allen is a master politician, after all.

Have there been negative personal attacks? Absolutely; although, as Allen noted in somewhat muffled fashion, he has brought those upon himself GÇö like the now nationally famous "macaca" remark, his reportedly free use of racial epithets and his dissembling about his genealogy.

But let's let bygones be bygones, shall we?

At least that's the tone we gathered from Allen's ad: from now on, we will have an invigorating, issues-driven debate based only on what we Virginians care about.

Great! We despise the mud-slinging and negativity that political campaigns have descended to. Talk issues. Amen to that.

So why, pray tell, is Allen's name and seal of approval still appended to a slew of filth-slinging attack ads produced by that master of political sewage Scott Howell?

If Sen. Allen wishes to embrace reform and decry personal attacks, he's got to embrace that stance with both arms. He can't just give reform a pat on the head, smile for the cameras and then ride off into the sunset. That's not reform; it's just dirty politics dressed up with a coat of fresh paint.

Comments



P.S. If you live in the Staunton area-- (Leaves on the Current - 10/8/2006 9:03:20 PM)
--Please consider giving the editors some positive feedback on this tough-minded editorial.  They are doing what far more editorial boards should be doing.

You can post a comment on the editorial's page.



Other newspapers (Teddy - 10/8/2006 9:17:30 PM)
could do with a slew of letters pointing out Allen's hyposcrisy and the lies and misstatements in his ads, and suggest the newspapers should follow the lead of yours.


Those who sling filth... (lwumom - 10/9/2006 12:03:24 AM)
....have filth to hide.


News-Leader puts News-Gazette to shame (Nell - 10/9/2006 12:26:07 PM)
One of the two weekly papers in Rockbridge County, the News-Gazette, ran an incredibly irritating and hypocritical editorial last Wednesday, piously decrying negative campaigning as if both candidates were doing it.  George Allen is the only one running negative ads.

And the media themselves are complicit:
Take a look at the transcript of Webb's recent appearance on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer to see how hard it is to get media types to focus on real issues.

Even more galling is that the News-Gazette has had two great opportunities to cover Webb's issue positions at local appearances by the candidate (at least one more than is normal in an area this small for a statewide candidate), and each time has only run a photo, with no actual news coverage. How's Webb supposed to get the issues in front of the voters, with telepathy?  That's their job, and they've abandoned it, while blaming campaigns and activists for "lowering the discourse".

So thanks for posting this; I plan to send the News-Leader editorial to our paper with a letter, and hope the editor gives himself a hard look in the mirror.