Campaign of patriotism

Images of flags and firefighters spark strong reactions

By Warren Cornwall

Herald Writer

Flags and firemen, fixtures of political campaigns, have taken on new prominence and symbolic heft this election year.

As the ruins of the World Trade Center towers smolder and bombs fall on Afghanistan, local candidates are weighing the promises and perils of referring to the terrorist attacks in campaign literature.

A number of campaigns, from a local fire district to statewide Initiative 747, have made allusions or outright reference to the attacks and their aftermath.

Others have shied away from more overt advertising, fearing people could take it as an effort to capitalize on a national tragedy. And opponents of campaigns prominently featuring firefighters or mentioning the attacks level those very charges.

A number of political ads prominently display the Stars and Stripes and refer to Sept. 11, when hijackers flew Boeing jets into the twin towers in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Flags and mentions of the attacks appear in recent mailings by Democrat Mike Ashley and Republican John Koster, candidates for the District 5 Snohomish County Council seat, which covers the northern half of the county.

In the south county, Republican District 4 council candidate Dave Schmidt was called up for two weeks of National Guard duty after the attacks. Voters could learn that from a letter he sent out.

The Washington Association of Realtors, which has contributed to Schmidt’s campaign, did its own red-white-and-blue mailing telling voters the candidate was a "patriot fighting to preserve our quality of life."

The 21st Legislative District incumbent, Republican Joe Marine, also sent residents a letter with the Statue of Liberty backed by the flag and the words "America Standing Tall" in red and blue.

Firefighters have proved to be another popular picture in campaign literature this year.

A television ad and mailing from opponents of Initiative 747 feature firefighters warning the tax-limiting measure will hurt their departments.

Brian Sullivan, Marine’s Democratic opponent, recently mailed out a flyer with a picture of a firefighter on the front and photos of local firefighters with Sullivan on the inside.

The firefighters’ union in Snohomish got both images into one. A photo of New York firefighters raising the flag over the trade center ruins graced their endorsement piece for Fire District 4 candidate Steve Towers.

Several campaigns that used such images said the ads were planned before Sept. 11. But many said the events played into their calculation of what would be appropriate, prompting them to tone down the message.

The I-747 opposition had long mentioned its effect on fire departments, but the attacks underscore how important those services are, said No on I-747 spokesman Christian Sinderman.

Their recent ads have almost exclusively featured firefighters, but they sought to avoid potentially troubling images of fire trucks or ambulances with their lights flashing, he said.

"We’re cognizant of the potential, the possibility to read too much into our ad," he said.

Other candidates said they shied away from such references, partly out of concern of a backlash. Republican Jeff Sax, District 5 county council candidate, said he had considered mailing a letter with a picture of the American flag on it shortly after the attacks.

Then someone confronted him while he was standing on a street corner with others, waving a flag at passing motorists. The person accused him of doing it to promote his campaign, while Sax said he was just being patriotic.

"I just don’t think it’s something we should use this year," he said of the flag imagery. "I just think it’s too sensitive."

Some have sought to turn public sentiment against the ads’ creators.

Tim Eyman, I-747’s sponsor, called the anti-initiative ads a blatant attempt to cash in on the attacks.

"Most campaigns don’t want to use it because it could blow up in their faces, but I think our opponents are so desperate at this point that they’re willing to try anything," said the Mukilteo resident.

The Marine camp, meanwhile, fired a salvo against Sullivan’s firefighter ads.

Marine campaign chairwoman Kathleen Baxter said Sullivan’s mailer plays on the deaths of hundreds of police and fire responders to the World Trade Center tragedy.

"It was just over the line to me," Baxter said.

Sullivan said he got the firefighter endorsements at the beginning of the year, and signs acknowledging that endorsement were printed weeks before the Sept. 11 tragedy.

"Quite honestly, it’s just a situation of coincidence," Sullivan said. "We don’t want to infer that we’re trying to play off sympathies, but it’s important to note I have a strong record in public safety."

Mike Wilson, political action coordinator for the union that represents Medic 7 personnel in southwest Snohomish County, was outraged by the Marine camp’s criticism.

"I’m not happy with the characterization made by Joe Marine that firefighters have been used in some cynical way to boost a candidate," Wilson said. "Certainly we’re not going to use the blood of our brothers and sisters in New York to support any candidate."

You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.

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