WITH THE Virginia gubernatorial elections a mere six days away, both candidates are using every possible means of attracting people to their campaign. Both keep putting out press releases announcing dramatic things like "Republicans for Earley endorses Mark Earley" or "86 year-old woman with bulldog endorses Mark Warner." Beyond the standard methods of getting attention, one form of appeal that has taken shape for the past five months deserves attention and sharp criticism.
Over that time, Democratic candidate Mark Warner has made an attempt to appeal to Virginians in the state's western region. Unfortunately, his attempts have been largely of the condescending, stereotypical and offensive variety. While his attempts may garner him some votes, they also should garner a form of concern, with respect to what the candidate may think of people from those areas.
My own interest in this issue arises from the fact that I am from the areas that have received attention from Warner. My references for these advertisements come from my trips home. Generally, none of these advertisements appear anywhere north and east of Lynchburg and Harrisonburg.
One form of appeal has been the Marlboro-inspired signs that proclaim "This is Warner Country." Given the man's wealth, some might wonder if that is more of a reassurance or a threat to buy 15 counties with his gold card.
More annoying, however, are the television and radio ads Warner has run over the past months on Southwest and Southside stations. The ads have featured traditional positive visuals of Warner. More importantly, they have featured a bluegrass soundtrack with lyrics about the candidate. Sung to the tune of "Dooley," a popular tune about a North Carolina moonshiner, the song's lyrics state that "he understands our people, our folks up in the hills" and encourages us all to "get ready to shout ... from the coal mines to the stills."
Now, there are a few problems with this approach. It assumes that a large portion of Western Virginians will start hootin', hollerin', pickin' and grinnin' at hearing a popular bluegrass tune. It assumes that most Western voters not only identify with living in the hills but also enjoy a nice, full-bodied sip of corn squeezin's every now and then. In short, it views Southwest Virginians in a very stereotypical fashion. It groups the region around an image - the moonshining hillbilly - that most civic leaders reasonably would detest.
To state the obvious, Western Virginia has a few bastions of culture in it. It has institutions of higher learning - Virginia Tech, Roanoke College, James Madison University - that actually have nationally-renowned programs. It has paved roads, indoor plumbing, swimming pools, movie stars and the like. In short, Western Virginia isn't the monolithicly simple image these ads seem to portray.
Originally, I had thought that the Connecticut-born Warner had given up on emphasizing his "roots" and connections with Western Virginia. I was wrong, as Warner recently has dragged a well-known actor and former Congressman to a number of rallies during the past week. That actor is - and I'm not making this up - Cooter from "The Dukes of Hazard."
Apparently, Warner honestly has thought that the same refined character who brought America such winsome television CB dialogue as "This is Crazy Cooter, come back" would bring certain rural voters to support him. Yes, most folks west of Richmond actually have CB radios in their tow trucks. They also regularly are chased by incompetent sheriffs and basset hounds.
The only possible understanding of this form of campaigning is to label it correctly: It is a stereotypical pandering of the basest sort. To analogize these attempts to another environment, Warner hasn't brought along Sherman Helmsley (George Jefferson from "The Jeffersons") to campaign in downtown Richmond.
Somebody ought to be marginally insulted by this simplified form of appeals. Of course, few people appear to be upset.
Beyond a simple television ad, Warner's approach may reflect the truly sad state of the Western electorate - it just wants attention. It wants somebody to look at its region and recognize it. Coming out to visit with voters is extremely effective in convincing voters you care about their interests and issues. Like Woody Allen said, "80 percent of life is just showing up." Both Earley and Warner have had the chance to win votes in this region, and Warner has taken full advantage of those opportunities.
His attempts have been offensive. After Nov. 6, the interesting question will be if those attempts will have been effective as well.
(Seth Wood's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at swood@cavalierdaily.com.)
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