Everybody says they want clean political campaigns, but when it comes down to it, how many of us really mean that? Better yet, how many of us would even offer similar definitions of appropriate campaign conduct?
Already the nastiness is heating up in certain races throughout Snohomish County. It’s only going to get worse. Or is it?
The League of Women Voters of Snohomish County is playing the optimist in a game dominated by pessimists and rule-breakers. The league, in partnership with the Institute on Global Ethics, is pursuing the Project on Campaign Conduct as a means of cleaning up campaigns so people can once again stomach the election process and get clear answers.
The goal is to get candidates in every race to sign a code of conduct as to how they’ll behave during the race. Each agreement will be different, depending on what the candidates agree to ahead of time. The what-ifs in this project are endless and most answers come right back to the contract the candidates sign. But the biggest what-if — what if a candidate clearly violates the agreement — can only be answered by the rest of us.
The league knows there’s no legal recourse for punishing candidates who go astray. But if a recent bipartisan poll of voters is any indication, the public is sick of this kind of behavior. League representatives predict the public will step in and do the job of setting that candidate straight. And the media, theoretically, will report on it.
This isn’t the first time the idea has come up. Remember Jack Metcalf and Gretha Cammermeyer? They signed a contract when they ran against each other for the 2nd District congressional seat and both names popped up on a list of those supporting the code of conduct project.
It’s easy to shoot down every reason for implementing a code of conduct and predict its failure before it really starts. But appropriate and honorable behavior during campaigns should be the norm. It isn’t now, in many cases. It doesn’t matter if the proposed code of conduct is perceived as naive — it’s a good idea and long overdue. The league deserves credit for tackling such an overwhelming project.
As league member Kim Baumgartner points out, "If we don’t aspire to something better, we’re not going to get it."
Most candidates will know by this morning if they’re moving on to the general election. It will be interesting to see if the winners’ enthusiasm parlays into attending the league’s public meeting at 7 p.m. Monday at the PUD auditorium in Everett to discuss campaign conduct and other issues. Just as importantly, it will be interesting to see if the public is there.
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