Annapolis Capital Punishment

A few days ago, I asked readers to "please send me any examples of negative or attack ads or campaigns. I will do my best to fairly assess and report on them--no matter from what candidate or what party the originate. This does not include the rants of irrelevant hate bloggers which have no consequence or importance. But, in the campaigns, there is no place for this $@^!&&@!"

I reported in my The Ninth Ward column last week in The Capital that Democratic candidate for County Council Chris Trumbauer had sent out a series of negative attack ads against his opponent Chuck Ferrar. And yes, in case you did not notice, Ferrar advertises on this blog. Trumbauer could buy an even bigger ad and it would not change the way I cover this election. (He spent many thousands on mailers attacking Ferrar and for only a couple of hundred dollars he could have had his photo here with a link to his website--for months!  hint..hint...yes I need to sell ads too and I am not ashamed of it. However, readers know that I have provided beaucoup free publicity for Trumbauer's very active campaign and many other campaigns here)

Ferrar then sent out a mailer that I consider to have some negative aspects, but certainly not on the scale of those sent from Trumbauer. However, it is worth bringing it to your attention. Ferrar basically shows that he has voted in the last four elections but that Trumbauer has not. Yes, it's tue, and it underscores the fact that Trumbauer only registered as a Democrat on May 11, 2010, while he is trying to pose as the "real" Democrat and call Ferrar's party credentials or loyalty into question. Of course, Trumbauer, as an Independent could not have voted, but those were primaries. Trumbauer tells ACP that he did vote in the general elections in those years. But the facts also show that Ferrar has been a registered Democrat and has voted as such, while Trumbauer has not.

What is different about this kind of negative ad is that it highlights the candidate sending it out and compares him to the opponent. It is not solely about what's bad about the opponent, but what's good about the incumbent, in this case.  It also came out in response to Traumbauer's attacks, basically to defned his own record. However, I still don't like the use of the term "Don't be fooled".

And finally, Ferrar specifically refers to Mayor Josh Cohen and Trumbauer when he says "don't be fooled", again showing the perceived role of the mayor in backing Trumbauer. Interestingly, in a recent column in The Capital by Eric Hartley, Mayor Cohen actually admits to counseling Trumbauer to go negative. Of course, I am not all surprised by that fact, nor are many readers one mifght assume, but admitting it to Hartley was astonishing!

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