Curb Aide Disguises Voice to Assail McCarthy on Talk Show; Ruse Flops

The rapidly deteriorating campaign for lieutenant governor between Democratic incumbent Leo T. McCarthy and Republican challenger Mike Curb deteriorated further Thursday when Curb’s campaign manager, disguising his voice and pretending to be a member of the public, telephoned a live radio program to assail McCarthy.

Curb’s campaign manager, Fred Karger, used the name “Tony” when he called the “Michael Jackson Show” on KABC to heckle McCarthy, a guest on the show. Using a tough-sounding voice, Karger said he was “sick and tired” of McCarthy’s campaign of “attack, attack, attack” against Curb and complained that the lieutenant governor’s latest television ad “stinks.”

Despite trying to disguise his voice, two reporters in the studio recognized Karger almost immediately.

“A Rich Little I’m not,” said Karger later, trying to laugh off his poor impersonation of an indignant voter. A one-time actor, he said, “Now you know why I got into politics.”

Talk-show host Jackson, with his clipped British accent and gentlemanly demeanor, suspected something was fishy once “Tony” began his tirade. He interrupted Karger’s harangue to say: “You know what I think, respectfully, Tony? I think you are a setup.”

Jackson went on: “I’ve been doing this job, at this station, for 20 years. I’ve been doing talk radio for 26 years. I think you’re a setup.”

“I resent that,” said Karger indignantly, who claimed that he was a voter calling from his job.

When Jackson’s staff tried to reach Karger at the Curb campaign headquarters, they were told the campaign manager was “in a meeting.”

Several hours later, Karger admitted the ruse.

Karger did not directly answer when asked by a reporter if Curb knew about the call or approved it.

The political operative said the call was his idea. “I wanted to question McCarthy about his negative campaign, so I just figured I would call in.” Karger said. “I knew if I gave my name I’d never get through” to McCarthy.

McCarthy said the ruse was an example of the “duplicity” of Curb, a former lieutenant governor who wants his old job back. McCarthy renewed his challenge to the Republican to meet in a face-to-face debate.

“If he thinks I’m not telling the truth about his record and his positions, then why doesn’t he challenge me face to face? Have the courage to do that?” McCarthy asked. “In this campaign he’s called me, or his campaign people have called me, unethical, cowardly and a lot of other names. I don’t whine about it. I want Mr. Curb to face me in a debate forum tomorrow, the next day. We still have time. Let’s go at each other, Mr. Curb.”

‘Totally False’

Earlier, in a separate interview with Jackson, Curb claimed that it was McCarthy who refused to debate. Curb said he challenged McCarthy to seven formal debates, but the lieutenant governor refused to agree to ground rules. “This is what we wanted to do. Of course, he didn’t do it. He started shouting that we didn’t want to debate, and that’s just totally false,” he said.

The talk-show incident was the latest chapter in a campaign that already has been marked by a $7-million libel suit, filed this week by Curb against McCarthy for claiming that the Republican made “a fortune” writing music and working on motorcycle gang movies during the late 1960s featuring themes of rape, drugs and violence.

The two candidates also have accused each other of lying. Several weeks ago, it was a McCarthy campaign operative who was accused of concocting a ruse when it was revealed that a volunteer in San Diego disguised himself as a reporter for a college newspaper in order to heckle Curb after a speech.

Meanwhile, a California Poll showed McCarthy leading Curb--47% to 38% with 10% undecided--compared to a Los Angeles Times Poll on Oct. 21 that showed 43% favoring McCarthy, 37% for Curb and 11% undecided.