Our View

It’s over. Thank goodness.

This election cycle likely will rank as one of Florida’s most brutal and nasty election seasons, driven mostly by the gubernatorial campaigns of Republicans Rick Scott, Bill McCollum and Democrat Alex Sink.

They both have blood on their hands.

We can’t help but remember, however, how Alex Sink was the first to vow at her primary victory party that she wanted to stay focused on the issues during the campaign against Scott.

As soon as the sun rose the next day, so much for campaign promises. Sink began her relentless attacks questioning Scott’s integrity and trustworthiness. It was her predominant message throughout the campaign.

Perhaps Sink’s lowest point came this past Monday. Her campaign began airing radio ads in Miami on three Hispanic-language stations that even the Sink-supporting Miami Herald called “jaw-dropping” and “fear-inducing.”

The subject: immigration.

According to the Miami Herald:

The spot begins with a Hispanic man in a car, chatting in Spanish with his young daughter. He gets pulled over — for speeding.

“Apologetically,” the Herald reported, “he gives the police officer his driver’s license and registration. In English, the cop asks for citizenship papers. The daughter translates. The man says he doesn’t have them.

“The officer says he’s going to have to detain him. The daughter’s voice gets increasingly agitated. Then comes the kicker: The officer asks the girl for her proof of citizenship, too.

“‘But I was born here!’ she wails.

“Scary music ensues, along with a voice warning voters that Scott would support an Arizona-style immigration policy in Florida.”

The Herald went on to say: “ … the fear-inducing tone of Sink’s spot is striking, even in the last-minute flood of campaign ads.”

And what adds to the startling nature of this ad is the usual disclaimer at the end: Alex Sink saying, “I approve this message.”

If you know Sink or Scott, you know that they are good people. In the normal course of events — say, while working in business or social settings — neither would say nasty, denigrating things about the other publicly.

But in politics, something kicks in. We asked Tramm Hudson, a longtime banker and one-time candidate for the Republican nomination for the District 13 congressional seat, why good people go bad in election campaigns.

“It’s the people around the candidates,” he said.

It’s the handlers, and the campaign “strategists” the candidates continue to hire. You know how it works: It’s all by reference — selecting the handler/strategist the party and its loyalists recommend. Whoever has the right track record, especially in close races.

What’s more, there is a common belief in political campaigns that staying positive won’t win you enough votes. It’s conventional wisdom that to win you must also bring down the opposition, create negatives. And the only way to do that is to mud wrestle.

There’s an old saying that all is fair in love, war and politics. It’s not true, of course. It’s not all fair.
But these tactics won’t end until the voters make a decision they’re not likely to make — that is,
consistently reject at the polls and hold accountable the candidates who engage in dishonest, sleazy and despicable campaigns.

It’ll never happen. But at least we have a two-year reprieve.

BOX
Sink to a new low
Here is the script from the Alex Sink immigration on Hispanic radio stations Monday in Miami:
(Sound of police car siren)
Girl’s voice: Dad, pull over, you are being stopped for speeding.
Father: I am sorry officer, it looks like I was speeding.
Officer: Do you speak English? I need to see your papers.
Father: Why? I have been a U.S. citizen for 10 years, but I don’t have with me my Naturalization Certificate.
Father continues: In what country are we living?
Officer: Sir, I am going to have to detain you until you can produce your papers.
Girl’s voice: (translating for the father) He says he is going to detain you until you prove you are a citizen.
Officer: I am going to have to see your papers as well, young lady.
Girl’s voice: But I was born in this country!
Announcer: What you just heard could occur in Florida if Rick Scott gets his way. Scott wants a law that is stronger than Arizona in Florida and does not want us to speak Spanish or English with an accent. Is this the Florida you want for your family? Say no to Rick Scott.