THE VIRGINIA governor's race has been called the country's most-watched election this year. But now is it becoming clear just what those watchers are starting to see: gay-baiting.
So, Jerry Kilgore has a "gay-sounding" voice. This is apparent to almost anyone who has heard him speak. The Republican candidate also has a rural accent, but that's not what his Democratic rival, Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine, has been making fun of. Few outlets have dealt with this issue honestly, though several papers have danced playfully around it, such as the Staunton Daily News Leader, which has commented on "the 'Ned Flanders meets Mr. Rogers' whine that passes for Kilgore's voice."
These comments are, of course, meaningless, and insinuations drawn from Kilgore's "gay-sounding" voice are based solely on unfounded stereotypes. There is no distinct correlation between voice and sexuality and Kilgore, for his part, is married and has two children.
But for Virginia Democrats, the idea of connecting Kilgore to a slate of negative stereotypes associated with gay men -- and to therefore weaken his support among conservative voters -- has proven tempting. Discussion of Kilgore's effeminate tone has been all over the Internet for months, and prominent Virginia bloggers have repeatedly speculated on Kilgore's sexuality and the effect his voice could have on the election. Suggesting that Kilgore's "gay-sounding" voice gives the impression that he is "weak" and effeminate, some online commentators have implored the Kaine campaign to take advantage of Kilgore's voice in order to implicitly connect him to gay stereotypes. Such discussion even made an appearance on the Democratic überblog DailyKos. In the last week, it has become apparent that the Kaine campaign has begun to lift tactics from this chatter verbatim and has started employing a strategy that is as unfair to gay men as it is to Kilgore.
There is a fundamental difference between conjecturing on how stereotypes and bigotry may affect an election and actively attempting to suggest those stereotypes and harness that bigotry. This is the line that the Kaine campaign has crossed. Last week, the Kaine campaign debuted a radio ad, "Weak." As the title would suggest, the spot suggests that Kilgore is "too weak to lead Virginia." Has Kilgore done anything, more than most other politicians, to define himself as "weak?" That's not clear. What is clear is the throwaway line in the "Weak" spot: "Jerry Kilgore is not being straight." The Kaine camp fails to add the obligatory "with voters;" the ad simply observes, "Jerry Kilgore is not being straight," period.
This comes on the heels of some other fishy Kaine messaging, including the launch of the attack Web site www.jerrytheduck.com. Couched in the context of Kilgore "ducking" issues, the site repeats the "weakness" mantra. Most disconcerting, however, is the feature at the top of the page encouraging visitors to "hear Jerry quack." Listeners then hear Kilgore saying: "I have no duty to you, Mr. Lieutenant Governor, on this issue. I have no duty to you, Mr. Lieutenant Governor. You are reckless..."
What is that supposed to mean? Avid observers will recognize the quote from a past debate where Kilgore dodged Kaine's aggressive questioning about his possible involvement in a Republican eavesdropping scandal. The site, however, does not provide this context, so all that is clear about the soundbyte is that Kilgore sounds particularly effeminate in it.
These two moves were followed by Kaine's release of the radio ad "Lead," where he accuses Kilgore of hiding his voice behind "slick radio announcers." In response, Kilgore has brilliantly turned around the jabs and joined with three congressmen in accusing Kaine of making fun of Kilgore's "rural accent." Strangely, though, "Lead" was targeted at rural radio markets. The long-brewing subtext to these accusations suggests that Kaine is not talking about just a twang -- as if such a move could net him political benefit. Rural accents have rarely kept candidates from political success. Sexual rumors have.
Like all the best innuendo, in the case of the Kaine campaign's nascent attempts at gay-baiting, there is no smoking gun. There are only mild and disguised suggestions that are no more right for their covertness. It is often assumed that Kaine, like many Virginia Democrats, would be quietly close to the gay community if elected. But even if one accepts the principle that ends can justify means, it is not clear that Kaine could ever benefit the gay community as much as he is damaging it with a campaign that insinuates that sexuality is a matter of public discussion and fair ground for humiliation. After all, if such indignity can happen to a conservative, married father of two with a flutter in his inflection, what keeps it from happening to a self-avowed gay man?
At this point, the history of this dirty episode remains speculative discussion by Kaine supporters and a few allusions by the campaign proper. It should stay that way. Tim Kaine is by far the best candidate in this race -- he can claim that because of his stances on issues, not because of his sexuality. Indeed, if Kaine were to run a straight campaign and lose, it would be a shame. But if he were to run a crooked one and win, it would be shameful.
Mike Slaven is a Cavalier Daily Opinion editor. He can be reached at mslaven@cavalierdaily.com.
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