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>> >>JOANNE: A group of San Diegosis calling for the return of civil discourse to politics.
Political movers and shakers are gathering Monday to host the first annual community
conference on restoring civility to servic dialogue.
Analysts are predicting this toon a record year for negative attack ads.
Can the tide be turned? I'll speak with political scientist Carl luna in just a moment.
Here's a clip of two GOP candidates attacking each other.
>> >>: This ain't the bean bag. We're going to come into a campaign, describe
the differences between usハ but I do think the rhetoric, Mr.ハSpeaker, was a little
over the top. >> >>: You think my rhetoric was over the
top but your ads were totedally reasonable? I've takenハ
>> >>: Mr.ハSpeaker, the super PACs that are out there running ads Ron Paul's mine
yours, that is not my ad, I don't write that adハ
>> >>: Would you both agree to take these super PAC ads down?
>> >>: I wouldn't call some of the things you've called me in public.
That's over the top. >> >>JOANNE: Joining me to talk about the
conference on the return to civil dialogue is event moderator and political scientist
Carl luna. Thanks for coming back to the show.
Is this what we're talking about, what we just saw?
>> >>CARL LUNA: We've gone from Lincoln Douglas to Romney ging Gingrich, has ntd been a pleasant
journey. >> >>JOANNE: I think what a lot of analysts
have said, is it because of these super PACs, endless amount of money, candidates can have
deniability? >> >>CARL LUNA: The super PACs are making
the problem worse. Candidates can say I didn't do this.
The god father didn't put the head in the producers' bed, his henchmen did.
We've been on a trajectory towards the negativity for about 20, 25 years.
Bh Ronald Regan ran for president he didn't run one negative ad.
The candidates to the today 50 to 75% negative. >> >>JOANNE: Was there a turning point in
terms of when ads became negative? >> >>CARL LUNA: In the 90s you started to
see the move in that direction as a lot of social divide developed in America.
The cable news networks, AM talk radio have create ad echo chamber.
People like negative stuff sdz about the other guy or they get turned off by the process.
>> >>JOANNE: Let's turn to local politics now, race for Mayor is a pretty heated race.
Have we crossed a line in that race? >> >>CARL LUNA: So far the candidates are
staying relatively civil in the campaign. There have been negative statements made about
each other. Nailgt n Fletcher was attacked by both the
left of the right when he of the candidates. I think as you get closer to the June primary
you might see a tendency towards the negativity going up and in the fall election that could
be an ish ooism we'd like San Diegans to say all of our candidates want a better city,
let's debate the issues about what will make us a better city and stay away from the personal
attacks. >> >>JOANNE: You mentioned Nathan Fletcher,
the act itself rkts him leaving the party and becoming independent, do you think that
was a manifestation of what we're talking about?
>> >>CARL LUNA: According to his campaign, that was the issue.
Some pundits are saying that was a political tri ang ylings.
Republican and democrat as a brand have lost the luster because their elected officials
keantd get together locally or nationally and reach a compromise a lot of people in
America and San Diego know we need to have. >> >>JOANNE: You mentioned this is what people
want. They want civility back into the discussion.
But, when you look at these talk shows that you mentioned and you look at ratings and
you look at numbers, or even the clip that we showed, I mean things that get all of the
hits on Youtube, it's the fireworks. You know, it's exactly what we're saying people
don't want, but if they're watching it, and listening to it, what does that say?
>> >>CARL LUNA: They're actually not f.you go back to the 50s, 60s, 70s, we all watched
the same network shows and hear the message. If it was negative it didn't work.
Now you have a rush Limbaugh show a couple million people see it.
Youtube hit 90,000 or a million people see it.
This isn't like the days where 40, 50, 60ハmillion people would watch the same thing and got
an idea of what the Americans were hes interested in. We have a niche, a small number of people
turn out to vote and you're dealing towards the the lowest common denominator do get those
votes. You're not generating the broad popular message
like a Ronald Regan or John Kennedy would have to aspire us towards the better angels.
this event grew out of a program from the Reverend George walker Smith.
The goal of this process that's come out of the original meeting last fall was to bring
as many San Diegan commune tee leaders politicians, candidates for offices together, US S USD
we're going to do it on Monday, talk about the civility, get the group together to talk
talk about what are some basic rules we can aspire to.
Things we used to think we learned in kindergarten, how you should behave towards the others,
how can we adapt that in our day to day discourse in the newspapers, media, and political events
vents where can people find out more? San Diego.EDU/civility.
>> >>JOANNE: Thanks for being here, Carl luna.