Money Lets Forbes Run, but Can’t Help Him Hide

How does Steve Forbes get away with it? Here’s a guy who has bought himself a place in the top tier of GOP presidential contenders, and try as it might, the press hasn’t laid a glove on him. Ask him about abortion and he unabashedly avoids the question, reiterating the flat tax will cure all.

What about your taxes, Mr. Forbes? None of your business, he says. Was your father gay, Mr. Forbes? My father’s not running; I am. But you will have to answer these questions if you want to be president. Says who? Forbes replies.

So how does Forbes get away with it? You have to begin with his view of reporters. Remember, this is a magazine publisher. He hires reporters. They answer to him, not the other way round. He’s known to have a less than high regard for the profession. So his arrogance toward the press is probably genuine and, as a result, he sees no need to answer their queries.

In most politicians, this stonewalling would appear evasive, probably signaling something to hide. But with Forbes, that doesn’t seem to be the case. Talk to Iowa voters who have witnessed these confrontations between Forbes and the press, and they tend to side with Forbes.

Voters don’t see him as just another politician avoiding questions; for that matter, they don’t see him as a politician. Truth be told, they seem to enjoy seeing the press treated with disdain.

Reporters answer that it is the public’s right to know, and they are acting on behalf of the public. The problem is, the public, at least in Iowa and New Hampshire, doesn’t seem all that eager to have the press act as their agent--at least when it comes to Forbes.

Why this reaction? Maybe because he is a fresh face. Maybe because he seems so painfully shy that the press barrage looks like piling on. Maybe it’s because Forbes’ base is drawn heavily from independent voters and supporters of Ross Perot, who view the press corps and Washington politicians in collusion. Whatever the reasons, the media’s frustration is not affecting how voters view Forbes.

But for those of us who think Forbes is getting a free ride and, in fact, has lots to hide, there is hope. While still remarkably disciplined when it comes to avoiding reporters’ questions, Forbes is beginning to make mistakes. For example, in defending the loss of the home mortgage-interest deduction with his flat tax, he said he had mortgages himself. Turns out he did not.

With so much media now following Forbes, the problem is bound to get worse. In addition, the press is beginning to investigate Forbes’ business dealings. A recent example is Forbes Inc. settling a suit over sales practices by paying $300,000 in refunds to buyers who had defaulted on their purchases in Forbes Park, a subdivision of Forbes Trinchera Ranch in Colorado. Questions have also been raised by other magazines about whether Forbes used his own publication to promote favorable stories about companies that advertise in it.

And now the social conservative crowd has turned on Forbes. Leading the charge is Patrick J. Buchanan, whose upset win in Louisiana on Tuesday had the overwhelming support of the Christian right.

The far right sees Forbes as a juicy target, ideal for mobilizing its supporters in Iowa. They are highlighting inconsistencies in his position on abortion. For example, they have uncovered an article Forbes wrote promoting contraceptives and abortion in the Third World to control population growth. Granted the article was written several years ago, but for the right-to-life crowd, purity on the issue of abortion has no timelines.

In addition, the Christian coalition in Iowa recently discovered that Forbes has a Robert Mapplethorpe photograph on his yacht. Mapplethorpe, who is now dead from AIDS, was an important artist who received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. His sophisticated photographs depicting erotic gay imagery incensed the right.

Forbes countered by saying that the Mapplethorpe photograph he owns is a seascape, a rare subject for the artist. It could have been the American flag, Stevie, but it’s still a Mapplethorpe. Meanwhile, the Christian right is currently circulating tens of thousands of letters with this information in Iowa.

Forbes can expect more stories on his business practices, his personal life and his inconsistencies on issues in the days ahead. In the business of presidential politics, when the stage lights come up, there is no such thing as exit stage right or stage left--except in defeat.

Whether this ever-increasing scrutiny will be seen by Forbes’ supporters as just more piling on by the “establishment” is yet to be seen. It will depend on what is uncovered. If there is enough of it and it is credible, no amount of avoidance or Teflon will help. And if this happens, the lesson for Forbes may be that he peaked too early and discovered that all the money in the world can help you run, but it can’t help you hide.