Mailer a dishonest campaign piece

A campaign mailer sent out this month by the Cristi Cristich for

Assembly campaign likely garnered far more attention than even the

most media-hungry politician could want. It is hard to imagine the

campaign’s goal was a headline reading “Cox condemns candidate’s

mailer.”

But there the headline was last Saturday, after Rep. Chris Cox had

taken the unusual step to contact the media and hold a conference

call in which he denounced the mailer, which showcased his name and

excerpts from a letter he sent Cristich, one of six Republicans

running in the March 2 primary.

Cox has a long-standing policy of not endorsing during party

primaries, though Cristich and one of her opponents, Irvine’s Chuck

DeVore (a former Cox staffer), sought the congressman’s support. Cox

sent both nearly identical letters outlining his stance, and it was

from that response that the Cristich campaign drew the comments for

the mailer.

“I want you to know how impressed I am with your candidacy, and

how much I look forward to working with you as a State legislator,”

the mailer quoted Cox as saying. However, the original letter had

continued, “if you are successful in March and, undoubtedly, in

November.”

“I don’t know whether this will have a material effect on the

campaign, but clearly it was intended to,” Cox said during the

conference call. “What was extended as a courtesy was completely

abused.”

It will be up to voters to decide whether the mailer, and the

minor ensuing political furor, will matter when they head to the

polls. What should not be up for debate is that sending out such

misleading campaign literature is wrong.

It is usually a pretty good clue that the honesty of a political

statement or deed is tenuous, at best, when the loudest defense comes

in the form of “everybody does it.” That is just what Cristich’s

campaign manager said in response to Cox’s outrage. “It’s done all

the time,” he said. “I could send you a 100 examples if you wanted.”

But, as at any time that defense is trotted out, it does not

exonerate the guilty parties. It merely puts them in poor company.

The Cristich campaign did the right thing this week and rose out of

this unsavory crowd by fulfilling Cox’s wishes that the campaign send

out a second mailer clarifying his neutral position. Cristich also

apologized to Cox. Now, the campaign should remain above the fray by

running an honest, clean campaign, as should all other candidates

running in March 2 races.

Perhaps, one day, everybody will be doing it.