Close Look at a Political Ad : THE AD

Conservative commentator Bruce Herschensohn has launched four new television advertisements in recent days in behalf of his campaign for the Republican nomination for the six-year term in the U.S. Senate. Herschensohn, Rep. Tom Campbell of Stanford and former Palm Springs Mayor Sonny Bono are the major GOP contenders in the June 2 primary for the seat now held by Democrat Alan Cranston.

Two of the ads generally describe Herschensohn to viewers and are not controversial. The key ad is a 30-second video in which Herschensohn says: “I’m Bruce Herschensohn. My opponent is real liberal. Tom Campbell had an ACLU rating of 85%, advocated higher taxes 17 times and voted himself a pay raise and--get this--was the only Republican congressman voting against the 1990 anti-crime bill. He refused 19 debates. Nuts! If he can’t speak for himself, how can he speak for you?” A 10-second version focuses on the crime bill vote and says “He’s liberal and he’s wrong.”

ANALYSIS

The ad aired about the same time that Campbell ran a commercial attacking Herschensohn’s record and comparing it with his own. Campbell is a moderate to liberal member of Congress on social issues and the environment but argues that he is one of the most conservative members of the House on fiscal issues. Campbell did have an 85% favorable rating from the American Civil Liberties Union in 1991, following a 68% rating in 1990. According to the National Journal, Campbell voted conservative on the economy 72% of the time in 1990 and liberal 28% of the time.

On tax votes, Campbell responds that he has never voted for a tax increase and currently opposes any higher taxes.

In 1989, his staff said, Campbell believed that it would be possible to cut the budget deficit--his chief goal--by raising some tax levies, but later decided Congress would never do that. The Herschensohn claim is based on a list of tax increases advocated by Campbell primarily in newspaper articles printed in 1989. Virtually all the taxes mentioned were on gasoline, tobacco and alcohol.

While Herschensohn’s claim about tax advocacy may be technically accurate, it also may leave an inaccurate impression that Campbell is liberal on economic and tax issues.

Campbell voted against the 1990 crime bill, Stohr said, primarily because he believed a provision dealing with the death penalty for big time drug dealers was unconstitutional. He supported what he viewed as a better-written death penalty for drug kingpins in the 1991 crime bill, for which he voted. Campbell did vote for a congressional pay raise.

Campbell and Herschensohn have debated several times and have two more debates scheduled in the final two weeks of the campaign. Campbell said it has been difficult scheduling more debates because he has been attending sessions of Congress throughout the year.