Call the campaign of the indifferent, where the only issues have been non-issues. Call it David versus Goliath. Call it Cooter versus Cantor. Really, whatever clever epithet you decide to give Virginia's 7th Congressional District contest will probably be more exciting than the race itself. Only a facade of competition existed between Eric I. Cantor and Ben L. Jones, and, Cantor coasted to a victory with neither candidate giving a minimum amount of public effort and attention to specific local issues.
From the beginning, Cantor's success was a given. The 7th District, which runs from the suburbs of Richmond west to Page County in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is highly conservative. Thus the district and the equally right-leaning Republican Cantor make a perfect match. In 2000, Cantor succeeded his similarly conservative predecessor Rep. Thomas J. Bliley Jr., garnering an astounding 67 percent of the vote ("'Cooter' Returns to Politics in Virginia," The Washington Post, June 28). In addition, Cantor had the advantage of being only one of two Jewish members of the House of Representatives, which gave him the additional edge in being depicted as a staunch supporter of Israel. Last night only affirmed the solid conservative base Cantor knew he had all along.
On the other hand, the Democrat Jones established his image on celebrity, rather than political status. Best known for his role as "Cooter" on the popular television show "The Dukes of Hazzard," Jones, however, is not a stranger to Capitol Hill. He served as Georgia House representative from 1989 to 1993, after losing his seat in the 1992 election to former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
The biggest "issue," which shouldn't have become nearly as significant as it did, was, of course, Jones' Hollywood persona. In the beginning, he asserted his unwillingness to cash in on his celebrity. The promise quickly evaporated once Jones started to parade around in the "General Lee" -- the 1969 orange Dodge Charger made famous from his television career. This threw Jones into the constant debate over Southern pride since the General Lee boldly exhibits the Confederate flag. That move drew criticism from within his own party as a racist and conservative ploy to swing the district. If the Democrats had known better, they would have let the issue die a quiet death -- it was a no-win situation.
Cantor couldn't avoid capitalizing on Jones' celebrity either. In the most visible ad broadcast over Richmond airwaves, Cantor's campaign unabashedly chintzes up the world of Cooter for its own purposes. The commercial begins with, "Let's take a look at Cooter's garage," and it proceeds with a series of claims connected by a screeching image of the General Lee shooting across the screen. Cantor's campaign obviously chose to demean Jones' political stances with his Holly-
wood career. The ad
twists Jones' previous
votes and makes them
appear ridiculous,
conveniently leaving
out any context. Case in point: It claims that Jones voted to "give away free needles to heroin addicts" -- that's done to prevent AIDS, not perpetuate drug habits. Another assertion is that "Jones voted to spend taxpayer dollars on pornographic art," a typical claim made by conservatives at the National Endowment for the
Arts ("National Endowment for the Arts slowly winning back supports," The Associated Press, Nov. 26, 2000).
Another so-called issue that too much overshadowed the more significant matters at hand is Cantor's incumbency, with both campaigns using it to further their cause. Cantor played up his "involvement" in the war on terror and constantly depicted himself as a loyal follower of President George W. Bush. Of course, allying with the White House went over unbelievably well in the 7th District. Conversely, Jones represented Cantor as the whipping boy of the Bush Administration and a member of the cutthroat world of politics, saying on his Web site that "Mr. Cantor seems to represent Washington thinking to the 7th District, rather than representing the 7th District in Washington."
Jones' quote really applies to both candidates. Neither addressed truly local issues. Cantor chose to ride his incumbency and presence in the national scene -- he supports the president, he's for the war on terror. Well, whoop-dee-do. Jones was Cooter and drives an automobile "icon." Who cares? None of those things will always matter to the average voter. Politicians urge citizens to vote, but nothing will motivate them if there are no issues to vote for.
No amount of celebrity could stop the Cantor machine. The debate was ambiguous at best. The contest was a no-brainer, and Cooter wasn't the only loser -- we all lost the chance for a true race.
(Becky Krystal is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at bkrystal@cavalierdaily.com.)
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