My Opinion on Dean's New Iowa Ads: Aggressive But Fair [View All]

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The Associated Press reports on Dean's new $250,000 media buy in Iowa that criticizes Richard Gephardt's support for the Iraq War.

My opinion is that the new TV ad and mailing are aggressive but fair. Here's why I think this advertising is fair:

1. It highlights a genuine policy difference between Democratic candidates. Democrats should have a vigorous (and still civil) debate about U.S. domestic and foreign policy.

2. There are no adjectives used in the ad copy to describe Gephardt. Each statement is purely factual. "October 2002, Dick Gephardt agrees to co-author the Iraq war resolution — giving George Bush the authority to go to war." It's not, "That awful, corrupt weasel Dick Gephardt..." or anything like it. No adjectives.

3. The ads describe very recent events. For example, Dean did not pull something out of Gephardt's 1980s record, such as Gephardt's opposition to busing or his anti-choice stances.

4. Gephardt opened the door already by trying to tie Dean to Newt Gingrich. Here's what Dick Gephardt said in September according to an article in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram:

"Howard Dean actually agreed with the Gingrich Republicans," Gephardt told a union audience.

"It was in this period when Gingrich said Republicans wouldn't immediately kill Medicare. Instead, they would let it wither on the vine," Gephardt said. "And it was also during this time that Howard Dean, as chairman of the National Governors Association, was supporting Republican efforts to scale back Medicare."

With these inflammatory comments, Gephardt obviously opened the door to Dean using far more recent video footage where Gephardt literally stood (in the Rose Garden) with George W. Bush, supporting him on a major policy issue despite majority opposition by Democratic House members at the time, including another Democratic presidential candidate, Dennis Kucinich.

5. Candidates must be prepared for dealing with Karl Rove and Republican media operations. Rove will not be as civil as Dean or even Gephardt are toward each other. Gephardt needs to know that Dean will respond to attacks, and an honest fight helps build stronger candidates for the big contest against Bush. That's why we have primaries.

On edit: One more reason:

6. Gephardt quite obviously wanted the Rose Garden photo op, otherwise he wouldn't have chosen to appear with President Bush to announce his support. He had no objection to appearing in front of the media and organizing that press availability.

It would be a problem for Dean to use that photo if Gephardt was an unwilling participant, but Gephardt expressly sought out that photo opportunity.