Listen to “Why Aren’t Candidates Speaking Up?” on Spreaker.
Sometimes we come close — dangerously close — to crossing over to the dark side. Friday was one of those moments.
David H. McKinley, chairman of the Mountaineer Freedom Alliance, joined Talkline to discuss the barrage of out-of-state PAC money flooding West Virginia. Some dark – masked by organizations with historically familiar names, but still mysterious in hiding where the money comes from – some transparent, thankfully. Some of these dollars fund messages casually known to the truth. That much has already been well established.
McKinley correctly noted that independent expenditure committees may not coordinate with candidates, nor candidates with them. These groups create their own messaging. It is not approved or signed off on by the candidate or campaign — whether the ads support that candidate or attack an opponent.
Is the process fair? In an era when AI-generated imagery has become a staple of campaign mailers — often designed to make a candidate look bad and blur the truth — it certainly feels like a problem crying out for a solution. Perhaps even a law to curb it?
That is the dark side. Much like a high-voltage sign, the word “DANGER” should precede the thought. Restricting speech is not the answer and never will be. The idea nearly passed my lips, and thankfully better judgment prevailed.
The better answer, the only answer really, is accountability. McKinley also pointed out that candidates could denounce dishonest mailers portraying opponents as something they are not. You will not be shocked to learn that is not happening. Not one clear example is found after searching – not a single one.
Excellent reporting identifies which organizations are behind major expenditures. Click here, or here or here.
Review the spending reports available at the Secretary of State’s website. Of note, the latest report filed Friday from Sugar Maple PAC, with reported ties to Governor Patrick Morrisey, indicates the PAC raised another $700,000 in April alone. Most of that – $600k – came from serial donors and finance tycoons Jeff Yass and Thomas Klingenstein. The PAC is actively participating in five senate races and five house races having raised $1.265 Million this year and spent more than $970,000 of that – on just 10 state legislative races.
So examine the ads out there. If you deem a claim cavalier with fact, ask whether the candidate benefiting from it has spoken up. Ask whether they have stepped forward, as John McCain once did when he stopped supporters from slandering Barack Obama.
And perhaps consider all of this unpleasantness an opportunity to really see who someone is firsthand. Fundamentally, if a candidate is unwilling to follow McCain’s example — statesman first, politician second — are they worthy of your vote? Because if they can’t take the high road before elected office, what surety do you have they will once in office?