As we proceed full speed into the 2024 presidential election, the levels of bitter, vitriolic, divisive, often misleading, bombastic, and demeaning rhetoric from candidates of both parties continues to escalate.
This election cycle reminds me of a very bitter and contentious general election for governor in Pennsylvania.
In that election, the Republican candidate was William Scranton, a former one term Republican member of Congress. The Democratic candidate was Richardson Dilworth, the incumbent mayor of Philadelphia.
Scranton’s political resume was thin. His only experience as a candidate was his successful run for Congress. Despite that, the state GOP was bullish on him after losing to Democratic candidates in two previous gubernatorial elections. They believed Scranton’s success as a volunteer civic leader on economic development issues in a depressed region of a rust belt state would resonate well with voters.
Dilworth on the other hand, had a long history of political success in Philadelphia. He was elected city treasurer, district attorney, and twice as mayor. His success was due in part to Philadelphia being a deep blue city with huge numbers of Democratic votes cast in local and statewide elections.
Dilworth’s electoral success in Philadelphia was also based in part on a simple, but effective campaign strategy. His campaign would purchase time on a local TV station to which he would invite his opponents to a debate. He did so fully expecting his opponents would not participate. They always obliged him. As a result, he had a full hour of viewers to himself, where he reminded them not only of his accomplishments, but also repeatedly mentioned that his opponent chose not to participate in the debate.
As the November gubernatorial election heated up, Dilworth again rented TV time and invited Scranton to join him for a debate. He smugly assumed that Scranton, like all his previous opponents, would be a no show.
Dilworth assumed wrong.
Minutes before airtime Scranton unexpectedly strolled into the TV studio. A surprised and angry Dilworth had a meltdown. It started when Dilworth shouted at Scranton, “What are you doing here?” During the debate, Dilworth peppered Scranton with insults. With thinly disguised contempt he called Scranton a phony, a coward, a Little Lord Fauntleroy, and an Ivy League Dick Nixon. Unruffled, Scranton calmly but forcefully responded with “You sir, are a desperate man.”
All of this was captured on film and was also widely reported by the print media who were there for the debate. Even those who did not see the actual television debate read all about Dilworth’s meltdown.
The debate was an unexpected and game changing negative branding movement for Dilworth’s grace under pressure, civility, and steady leadership credentials.
By contrast, the debate was an unexpected and game changing positive branding moment for Scranton’s grace under pressure, civility, and leadership credentials.
In November, Scranton beat Dilworth with 55% of the total statewide votes. This occurred despite strong support for Dilworth from President Kennedy who had carried Pennsylvania in the preceding statewide presidential election.
This is a lesson for the candidates the Republican Party and the Democratic Party eventually nominate for president in 2024.
American voters have long deserved and rarely seen a presidential election where candidates are not demonizing those who disagree with them and their supporters, by questioning their motives and their intellectual capability to make informed decisions.
Regularly showing grace under pressure, civility, steady leadership, and respect for all views during a long and often grueling campaign is the best way for candidates to earn voter’s support and gain their trust to govern fairly and inclusively if elected.
Now is the time for presidential candidates from both parties to commit to disagree on issues without being extremely disagreeable. Voters deserve nothing less.
David Reel is a public affairs/public relations consultant who serves as a trusted advisor on strategy, advocacy, and media matters who lives in Easton.
Chris Gordon says
Based on your comments I have to assume you’re planning to vote for Biden. Other than Chris Christie, who has no chance of being the Republican nominee, Biden is the only one who meets your criteria. Why not come and say so.
Deirdre LaMotte says
I do hope this former head of the Talbot Republican Party is not equating any MAGA candidate with the
Democrats. Very sly to try and make it “both sides” when we all know which side is demonizing, which side
is anti democracy, which side want to take women’s reproductive decisions away and give them to the
government, which side is book banning and race bating. On the other hand, we have 5.2% GDP…3.1% inflation…..3.7% unemployment…record stock market…..new roads everywhere..no US troops dying in foreign wars…inflation falling, real incomes rising….. Let us keep to the facts, as inconvenient as that is to MAGA.
Bob Moores says
David, I agree with you 100% on how it should be. But that’s not how it is. Today we have a situation almost exactly comparable to that which you described for the 1962 PA election, with Trump as Dilworth and Biden as Scranton. One is the embodiment of incivility; the other may appear uncivil at times, but only in defending himself and our democratic system from the other’s vicious attacks.
Which of these two gave his opponents demeaning nicknames like “Lyin’ Ted”, “Little Marco”, and “Low-energy Jeb”? Which one said “Look at that face” when referring to his female opponent, made fun of a physically handicapped person, and called our captured soldiers “losers”? Which one exhibited lack of civility in refusing to accept an election loss?
Even without getting into his dirty tricks (attempted extortion of Zelensky, Raffensperger, Pence) and moral corruption, Trump is the most uncivil, self-serving, victim-playing con artist I have ever seen.