Panelists agree: Negative political ads distract from real issues Michigan's next leaders must face
Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry joined the Michigan Truth Squad and the Center for Michigan in Ann Arbor Tuesday night during a panel discussion on misleading political ads from the 2010 election season. Lessenberry drew laughs with his opening line: "I'm only dressed like this because of my day job as a narcotics agent."
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Michigan Radio's Jack Lessenberry recalls a conversation he had over lunch with state Attorney General Mike Cox in early August.
Cox had just suffered defeat in the Republican gubernatorial primary, falling to Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder. And he wasn't happy about it.
"He was complaining bitterly," Lessenberry said. "He said, 'I've got all these good things that I could have done for the state, and I understand Detroit, and I understand all this other stuff,' which was not reflected in his campaign. And I said, 'Well, why in that case did you not communicate that? Why did you run a solely negative campaign attacking your opponents?'"
Lessenberry said Cox responded: "Because positive advertising never works."
Did Cox have a point?
Susan Demas, a Lansing-based political columnist and Michigan Truth Squad referee, said during a forum Tuesday night such a hypothesis hasn't been tested very often. But Snyder found a path to victory while running a mostly positive campaign in the primary, she noted.
"He won by 9 points in the primary, and he didn't run a lot of negative ads," she said. "He just ... spent $7 million. Now maybe that's one lesson: have $7 million to spend."
John Bebow, executive director of the Center for Michigan, fields a question from a member of the audience Tuesday night at the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
Lessenberry and Demas were joined by John Bebow, executive director of the Ann Arbor-based Center for Michigan, for a panel discussion on the 2010 elections in Michigan. Together, they took a close look at some of the dirtiest political ads of the season.
Nearly 100 people filtered into the Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase for the free event dubbed "Issues and Ale," an attempt to separate fact from fiction.
"It's been a long campaign season, we need a beer, and it looks like a lot of citizens need a beer, too," Bebow said before the event.
Bebow and Demas are part of a team that has been blowing the whistle and calling fouls on false and misleading political ads through www.MichiganTruthSquad.com.
"I think the Michigan Truth Squad is one of the best developments in politics in this state in a long time, and as most of you have figured out, I'm old," Lessenberry said Tuesday night.
The Center for Michigan, which started the Truth Squad this year, is a "think-and-do" tank headquartered in Ann Arbor that encourages bipartisan policymaking in Lansing.
"We launched the Truth Squad this year because, when we were just getting started four years ago, we were noticing some really awful attack ads," Bebow said. "One was the 'slow boat to China' ad against Dick DeVos. Just about the same day that launched, I got a mailer in my mailbox at home that basically claimed that Jennifer Granholm was a she-devil because Madonna had given her $100 at one point. So we kind of tucked all of those materials away and said, 'When 2010 rolls around, we're going to try to have some fun with these ads.'"
The three panelists kept the crowd laughing Tuesday night as they spent a little more than an hour watching and dissecting political ads that have appeared both online and on television, including several in the gubernatorial race between Snyder and Virg Bernero, the Democratic mayor of Lansing.
'Priceless' TV ad
The first ad the crowd watched Tuesday night was an attack on Bernero for spending $2,699 in taxpayer money to maintain an office aquarium, $20,012 on food, and $1,277 on pencils. The ad was paid for by the Republican Governors Association, which said it found the expenses by acquiring purchase receipts from Bernero's city credit card.
"Well, Republicans could take solace from the fact that, if he ate like this all the time, the cholesterol would kill him," Lessenberry joked of the steak dinner shown in the ad.
Demas said the ad earned a "warning" from the Truth Squad.
"There were a lot of questions that were raised by this ad," she said. "First of all, the source of these figures appears to be Mayor Bernero's credit card statements. That's what the RGA says. However, they would not give us those receipts so we could look them over, so that raises a flag with us. If you're going to make the claim, back it up."
Demas said it's also unclear what time period the expenses covered.
"They wouldn't tell us that either," she said, though she noted the Truth Squad was able to put the expenses into some context. "As far as the percentage of Lansing's city budget … these expenses would be 0.0002 percent, so not exactly breaking the bank."
Snyder's Gateway record
The second ad the panel looked at Tuesday night was an attack the Michigan Democratic Party launched on Snyder's record at Gateway Computers.
The ad claimed when Snyder was a director and CEO at Gateway, the company eliminated 19,000 American jobs and outsourced work to China. It also said Snyder cashed out $14 million in stocks before selling what was left of Gateway to a Chinese company.
Snyder has not disputed the $14 million figure, though the ad wasn't exactly factual in stating Gateway was sold to a Chinese company — it actually was sold to Taiwan-based Acer Inc.
Demas said the outsourcing attacks on Snyder are misleading.
"It's true that Gateway did outsource jobs," she said. "Most of this took place when Rick Snyder was not in management, when he was sitting on the board. But they want to make the claim that Rick is personally responsible for these, and there's no smoking gun that this was his call."
Gateway shed 19,400 jobs from 2001 to 2007, according to annual reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
According to the Truth Squad, Snyder was executive vice president of Gateway from 1991 to 1996 when he was promoted to president and chief operating officer. He left active management in 1997 to start a venture capital fund in Ann Arbor, but remained on Gateway's board of directors until the company was sold to Acer Inc. in 2007. Snyder also briefly served as interim CEO of Gateway in 2006 before the company was sold.
"We gave it a foul for misleading representation of Snyder's record at Gateway," Bebow said of the ad. "When he was CEO in the '90s, they had incredible job growth."
The latest gubernatorial ad
The panel also took a look Tuesday night at a brand-new ad released by the Democratic Party, showing scenes from Sunday's gubernatorial debate in which Bernero alleged one of Snyder's companies, Discera Inc., has opened a new office in China. The ad shows Snyder denying Bernero's claim. The claim turned out to be true, though it was only a small sales office.
"That was definitely a flub by Snyder, and I'm sure he's kicking himself for doing that in the debate on Sunday," Demas said of Snyder's denial. "A few minutes later, his campaign put out a paper downplaying the significance of the office, but that part of it is true, even though obviously they clipped it to look as negative as possible."
Bebow pointed out Tuesday night that the Truth Squad recently helped shame the Michigan Republican Party into taking down an online ad called "Pure Lansing," which had painted a grim picture of Bernero's city in an attempt to portray him as an ineffective leader.
"It was unfair, out of bounds, out of line," he said. "It was a bunch of videos going through Lansing, saying people in Lansing have family values and now they get more time with their family because none of them have any jobs and it's boarded up houses left and right."
The fact is, Bebow said, Lansing has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, and there's a lot of evidence the city is diversifying its economy and bringing in new jobs.
"Almost anything goes, and I think that's part of why we're doing this," Bebow said of political attack ads that have run rampant in Michigan. "We're trying to point out that, as long as we're supporting organizations with donations that will do this kind of thing, the further removed we get from real-issues discussion about our state's future."
Bebow said the attacks distract from the real issues the next governor will face.
"They have to deal with downsizing of government, trying to provide services to local citizens, trying to navigate some very nasty conflicts in how we educate our kids," he said. "We're not hearing about that. We asked 19 questions in the debate the other night, and that is as deep as it's going to get. And there were plenty of concerns that wasn't deep enough."
Demas said she thinks some of the independent groups that have popped up only to launch political attack ads may run into trouble with the IRS.
"A lot of these groups are just popping up to slam certain candidates and they're breaking laws, so it will be interesting to track what happens with these organizations in a few years, because I know the IRS is looking at a lot of these groups," she said.
'On duty for Big Oil' ad
Another ad the panel looked at Tuesday night was a Democratic Party attack on Republican attorney general candidate Bill Schuette. The ad showed an oil-covered Gulf Coast with an economy in ruins, and said Schuette wants to drill for oil in the Great Lakes.
The Truth Squad called foul on it.
"We have a ban on Great Lakes drilling in the state. There's also a federal ban," Demas said. "So I think this doomsday scenario is not going to happen anytime soon. As far as Schuette's position goes, he did change his position, he had supported some drilling, but he voted on the ban, which of course you can't get from that ad."
'Liberal Harvard elitists' ad
Another ad paid for by the Republican Party showed a cartoon of Democratic secretary of state candidate Jocelyn Benson riding in a car with Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The ad made several comparisons between the two, calling them both "liberal Harvard elitists."
Demas said the Truth Squad took special exception to the derogatory remarks about Benson appearing in a spread in Glamour Magazine. In fact, Benson appeared in the magazine because she was one of the "Top Ten College Women" of 1998, which isn't mentioned.
'Soft on crime' ad
Another ad paid for by the Republican Party attacks Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton, the Democratic candidate for attorney general. The ad juxtaposes news headlines about violent crime in Flint with an interview with Leyton about his role as prosecutor.
"Basically, they cherry picked a bunch of really negative stories about Flint," Demas said. "They just wanted to make him look as bad as possible."
"It's just a pure character assassination from the minute it starts," Bebow added.
It's the third online ad the Michigan Republican Party has run blasting Leyton for being "soft on crime." All three spots have earned fouls from the Truth Squad.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529.
Comments
Stephen Cain
Tue, Oct 19, 2010 : 8:45 p.m.
I'm all for the Truth Squad and would love to see what's left of the mainstream media join the effort. I split my time between Ann Arbor and western North Carolina, where I am now. Yes, politics is a blood sport, and there will always be spin control. I'm seeing two things today that were rare when I covered politics 15-20 years ago: Outright fabrication and incredible meanspiritedness. Did the Truth Squad or anyone else take on Cox's racist ads during the GOP primary?
A2comments
Sun, Oct 17, 2010 : 12:24 p.m.
An update to my earlier comment regarding Snyder using CJ Lee's job title at Ann Arbor SPARK to imply endorsement by SPARK. I have since realized that CJ Lee worked for Snyder's campaign and then took the job with SPARK and then they made the commercial. Very slimy.
Sharlan
Thu, Oct 14, 2010 : 9:58 a.m.
I wish I could vote against a candidate because he/she ran negative ads or allowed his/her stalking horse (interest groups) to do so. No such luck -- they all do it. I thank the Truth Squad for shining a light into this dark corner of politics and I'm sorry to have missed your comedy event in A2.
TC
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 2:58 p.m.
A great big thanks to the Truth Squad,the Center for Michigan and Michigan Radio for presenting this interesting program. I hope that we can have more discussions in a similar format soon.
Speechless
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 12:43 p.m.
..."He won by 9 points in the primary, and he didn't run a lot of negative ads," she [Susan Demas] said. "He just... spent $7 million. Now maybe that's one lesson: have $7 million to spend." "... money doesn't talk, it swears...."  — Robert A. Zimmerman ------------ When a candidate truly offers something more than just their own career advancement, their campaign ought to be generally positive. It should give people actual, forward-thinking reasons for why they should bother to show up at the polls and place a mark next to a name. Elections driven by anger and fear of the "other" will ultimately put people in charge who thrive on that. At the same time, there exists a fairly limited, but still legitimate, place for negative campaigning. As long as the statements made are accurate and do not distort reality, it is fair and reasonable for a candidate to tell their voter base and the public that the opponent holds viewpoints and policy positions that run counter to their interests. Instead, what oftens takes place is a distortion on policy issues combined with ad hominem personal attacks. To his credit, Rick Snyder has engaged in comparatively less negative campaigning against either Virg Bernero or his earlier primary oppontents. What he has done, though, is rely on his very special advantage in personal wealth while engaing in positive campaigning of questionable accuracy.
David Briegel
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 11:49 a.m.
Stephen, what is your role in the Snyder campaign?
Stephen Landes
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 11:31 a.m.
Rick Snyder has chosen to take the high road in this campaign -- not the perfect road, but the high road with all its potential bumps and problems. Even during the debate when he was specifically invited to take a shot at Bernero because of one of the questions (what would you fear about your opponent winning the election) he declined to answer that portion of the question. I have huge problems with all political party structures even though I consider myself a Republican and not an independent. In my opinion the entrenched party operatives and leaders are more interested in maintaining their positions of power and influence than they are in encouraging candidates like Rick Snyder. I believe we need to encourage citizen patriot candidates rather than continuing to support career politicians. We've seen where the career politicians have taken our state and country. Non-career politicians certainly can't do worse and will probably do much better.
81wolverine
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 11:11 a.m.
The political parties use of negative, attacks ads is disgusting and a big reason why for the most part we have an almost total lack of true statesmen in office. Practically none of them have the desire to go through the horrible campaigning process and put up with these personal attacks. I'm surprised Rick Snyder is willing to do it. Career policitians like Cox know that people don't think rationally and respond more to emotional "hot-buttons". That's why (for example) the Democrats keep harping on outsourcing. They know people get mad over the idea of their or their neighbor's job moving to Mexico or China. It doesn't matter that neither the Democrats or Republicans in this state have ANY control over outsourcing or will even try to do anything about it. It's a global, national, and state reality. Another hot button is the right-to-life/pro-choice debate. Again, what will either party REALLY do about it if elected? Nothing. They're simply trying to buy your vote. Unfortunately, this negative process will continue to result in lying weasels (for the most part) being elected to office from both parties. Occassionally, a truthful, old-fashioned statesman may end up in office, but only if he/she has an incredibly thick skin, strong back, and is tolerant of slogging through the slime of the broken U.S. political process.
A2comments
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 10:21 a.m.
Let's face it. Politicians, political parties, and other "interested parties" will never stop running misleading ads. They know that the electorate is easily influenced by ads and they do little research. I object to a recent ad that Snyder is running, which ends with an endorsement from C.J. Lee, the Manager of Business Development at Ann Arbor SPARK. In the ad, Mr. Lee's title and company (SPARK) are prominently displayed, conveying the strong impression that SPARK is endorsing Mr. Snyder. Per the SPARK site, "Prior to joining SPARK, C.J. worked for the Rick Snyder for Michigan Committee based in Ann Arbor, Michigan." SPARK does not endorse candidates, and Mr. Snyder knows that. But he created an ad anyway that strongly suggests that he is endorsed by SPARK, not that he's endorsed by a recent college graduate that worked for his campaign. Having watched the debate between the two candidates, I'm wondering where my third choice is...
trespass
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 9:56 a.m.
The description of the Discera Chinese operation as a "sales office" does not make sense. It is described in their own press release as "state of the art" which is not how one describes a sales office. If you look at their business, it it involves getting other manufacturers of electronics to incorporate the Discera technology into their chip designs and then pay Discera royalties for the technology. Thus, state of the art probably refers to prototyping chips to show the other companies that they can use Discera's technology. Possibly they are only helping the other companies to prototype chips. Either way, they are giving Chinese companies a first shot at incorporating their technology so that they can out compete other companies in the global marketplace (America) as Discera stated in their press release. They also can skirt around American import/export controls.
Huron74
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 8:35 a.m.
Politics is and always has been a blood-sport. People always say they want positive themed campaigns just like they say they want uplifting TV programing. But they don't watch it. Look at the comments at this website. How many of them are calm, fact filled, well-reasoned opinions and comments when it comes to political issues? By my count around one in four and it is only that high because of the vigorous deletion policies of AA.com. People love mud slinging, partisanship, and flaming especially when it's on behalf their favored candidates and issues. That's just a fact of life.
Paul
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 7:47 a.m.
The lack of civility in politics is reducing the United States to a rabble. The hostile positions espoused in recent elections are just discourteous and uncivilized. No one candidate is to blame neither is one party responsible. We would not allow this sort of behavior in the workplace and a family behaving in this manner would be considered dysfunctional, at best. Politicians have never been stalwarts of courteous behavior, it is just not in their nature, but the attack ads and ruthless battles being waged against opponents need to end. It is time for politicians to support professional behavior and ethical conduct in politics.
Chase Ingersoll
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 7:23 a.m.
David: Your statement "..negative GOP elite got over 60%..." is as mis-placed and reflecting of personal antipathy as most political adds and is frankly DIS-INFORMATION that must be corrected on the record. As one of the 60% who did not vote for Snyder in the primary, but who attended one or more party political events per week in the months leading up to the primary, the first essential point is that many GOP voters had been lined up behind Hoekstra, Cox and Bouchard long before Snyder ever got in the race and all had higher name recognition prior to Snyder's spending millions. Go back and read the polls when Snyder got into the race, I believe Cox had the highest name recognition and Snyder the lowest. Further, the problem Cox had that was openly discussed within the GOP had to do with negative campaigning that he had engaged in, in past races against GOP opponents, along with a less than diplomatic personality (I'm saying this a lot nicer than it was publicly spoken of) and the Kilpatrick issues long before the election where many (and this includes me) wrote him off as a real leader because he was chummy with Kwame Kilpatrick and the AG office on the Cox watch failed as a law enforcement office to do anything about the shenanigans going on in Detroit/Wayne County and it took the Free Press, Kim Worthy (Wayne Country Prosecutor), private attorneys, and now the Feds to come in and clean up. Hoekstra (at least in discussions I observed) got hammered for having voted for the bank bailout and in some ways, everyone was just sick of anyone who had been in Congress for that long. Bouchard didn't really have any negatives within the Party, but he never got any traction. For the record, I voted for him because he raised the Right to Work issue, but then that is the contrarian part of me. The one place where Snyder was probably hurt by negative advertising, was Cox/Right to Life adds against Snyder. But this was probably a very small percentage of GOP primary voters and it didn't necessarily help Cox, because Right to Life had previously endorsed Hoekstra and Bouchard in previous elections. Further, that Snyder picked a running mate that appealed to "the base" demonstrates that you ignored what happened at the GOP convention. Both the most conservative of the GOP and Tea Party activists who attended the Convention and supported Ruth Johnson to a large degree, were dumbfounded by the Calley nomination. But you have to know something about the L.Gov nominating process where it takes something like 5 County GOP coordinators who were elected (I think) right after the last presidential election (PRIOR TO TEA PARTY and conservatives who did support McCain getting more involved). So yes, it was as hard line conservatives and Tea Party would refer to them, the milk-toast RINO elietes, that package large donations to the State GOP Central Committee that approved of Snyder's selection of Calley. But getting back to Snyders campaign style. When you win the primary as he did, without slandering his opponents, it makes it a lot easier for the majority who did not vote for him in the primary to support him in the general election. And I would argue that is reflected substantially in the post-primary polling. A further irony is that Snyder who was hammered by Cox and Right to Life as not really being pro life, is now being hammered by Bernero for being and extreme right to lifer. This is probably helping Snyder with right to life voters who shunned him in the primary and giving a good laugh to anyone that closely follows the races. But the point to all of this is that many who post comments here add no information and frankly DIS-INFORM any number of readers. Finally, am I the only one that thinks Snyder sounds like Kermit the Frog?
David Briegel
Wed, Oct 13, 2010 : 6:18 a.m.
The "positive campaign" of Snyder got a minority of the Republican vote. The negative GOP elite got over 60%. This despite spending millions of his own ill begotten gains to gain the office. And he immediately picked a radical right running mate to appease the base.