Fung and Block Need to Know the Importance of Reagan’s 11th Commandment
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
We live in one of the bluest states in the nation, where registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans by epic proportions. Our entire congressional delegation are Democrats, all of the General Officers are Democrats, as well as about 90% of the General Assembly. Let’s face it; for all intents and purposes, we have a one party state.
Until recently, this was shaping up to be a year where Republicans could actually make some gains in Rhode Island. The economy is in a death spiral; unemployment is the worst in the nation; spending is out of control; the middle class is migrating to states where jobs can be found and we continue to hear about corrupt elected officials. It’s a perfect storm with the potential for a sizable shift in political outcomes.
Unfortunately it appears that Republicans will snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory. It’s bad enough that Republican candidates are always out-numbered, out-financed and often dismissed by the media, this year we are witnessing the worst of the worst in negative campaigning.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTMost campaign consultants will tell you that people hate negative ads, but negative ads move polling numbers. I heard this same advice from my campaign consultants in 2010 but I chose to stay positive and not run negative advertising. I wanted to run on my ideas and my vision for Rhode Island. Some say that might have been a critical mistake, but I disagree.
If the only way you can win an election is by tearing other people down, then you minimize your own accomplishments and you cause irreparable damage to your own personal brand. Negative advertising tells us more about the candidates who run them than they do about the opponents they target.
I have yet to take sides in the primary race for governor, and I’m still not certain that I will. However, I want my former supporters, and those who voted for me in 2010, to know that I harbor no ill will towards Ken Block for being in the 2010 governor’s race. I’m glad he’s now decided to embrace the Republican Party, but he has a lot work to do to convince RI Republicans that his motives are honorable and his ideals align with the GOP brand.
I also harbor no hard feelings towards Mayor Fung for not contributing to my campaign for governor and for not supporting me until the very final week of the election. Had he done so earlier, it might have made a big difference in the Cranston vote tally. But I’ve broken off the rearview mirror and I am looking forward with hope that he will soon emerge as true GOP statewide leader.
The fact is that neither candidate is without political baggage. Oddly, some the very issues being used as negatives in recent attack ads against Ken Block could end up helping him in the general election. While I’m not a fan of President Obama’s policies, he’s still very popular in Rhode Island, and Ken’s prior votes for him could end up appealing to statewide voters. It’s an argument; let’s see how it plays out.
Likewise Mayor Fung is being attacked for having repeatedly contributed to Democratic candidates in prior elections. In the general election this could show that he doesn’t always follow the party line and he can work with elected officials on both sides the aisle. Not a bad image to have in a very Democrat controlled state.
My advice to both Mayor Fung and Ken Block, as well as to their supporters, is to remember that when the primary is over we need a candidate who is not so badly damaged that he stands a real chance of winning the general election. It’s okay to point out contrasts or differences, but you can do so without inflicting irreparable damage.
In 2012, Mitt Romney ran the Republican presidential primary gauntlet but got through badly bruised and damaged by his opponents. The negative attacks left a lasting impression on the voters, and many Republicans decided to stay home in disgust during the general election. I hope this is not repeated here in Rhode Island in 2014.
A few days ago marked the 10th anniversary of the death of Ronald Reagan who was at one point also a target of relentless attacks from fellow Republicans. His advice on negative campaigning seems to have been forgotten here in Rhode Island.
"The personal attacks against me during the primary finally became so heavy that the state Republican chairman, Gaylord Parkinson, postulated what he called the Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican. It's a rule I followed during that campaign and have ever since." Ronald Reagan
Mayor Fung, you’re a good man and you’ve been a good mayor. Stop the negative campaigning. You’re better than that. If your consultants are telling you this is the only way you can win, fire them. They’re wrong.
Ken, stay calm and carry on. Your work has just begun. You still have a lot of Republican voters to convince that you are being authentic. You’re a smart and successful businessman; let’s see if you are the political leader the RIGOP needs to win in November.
Good luck to both of you gentlemen.
John Robitaille was the 2010 Republican candidate for governor of Rhode Island.
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