A Holiday Package of Political Tricks

The phantom fax came sliding into political offices around California early one recent morning. It bore the logo “MATT FAX,” the same headline routinely used on missives from state Treasurer Matt Fong, a Republican running for the U.S. Senate seat held by Democrat Barbara Boxer.

It aped the hyped language of Fong’s typical political propaganda, even down to the ending, “More later.” Except that it wasn’t really a MATT FAX.

That was clear from the first paragraph, which touted Fong’s “bold move” in firing his lead consultants for the Senate race, Sacramento-based McNally Temple and Associates. They had been replaced, the fax said, by George Bush. Yes, that George Bush.

To insiders, that barb mocked Fong’s assertion earlier this year that the former president had endorsed him--when actually Bush stays studiously unattached in contested Republican primaries.

Then the fax speculated that Fong had canned the consultants because he ran out of money to pay them illegally--another insult, this one referring to controversy over Fong paying his Senate consultants out of his treasurer campaign coffers.

‘Tis the season. The holidays are upon us, and political types yearning to promote their candidates--or denigrate their opponents--are in desperation mode. There was something vaguely interesting going on--Fong and his veteran political consultants did part ways--but reality was held hostage to a wild collection of spin, counter-spin and an anonymous fax attack, all intended to bend media coverage to one side or the other.

This situation strayed from routine only because no one stepped forward to claim responsibility for the faux fax. It became that rarest of weapons in a world where everyone claims credit for everything--an anonymous one.

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Whatever their form, attention-getting devices abound in this slow political season, when many voters are more interested in the clash of shopping carts at Toys R Us than of competitors in a long-distant election.

Not long ago, Gov. Pete Wilson, apparently not confident that his name alone would compel voters to open their mail promptly, larded up a fund-raising letter for an anti-union initiative with enough demands to give the ordinary Joe cardiac arrest. The envelope that contained Wilson’s letter, along with a petition for initiative supporters to sign, was emblazoned with warnings: “Official State of California Election Documents Enclosed. . . . Return within 24 hours.”

If that didn’t grab you, the notice added: “Please complete the enclosed petition in the manner required by California Elections Code.” Tony Miller, a Democratic candidate for secretary of state, lodged a complaint with the attorney general’s office charging that Wilson had violated a state truth-in-advertising law. Wilson denies any wrongdoing.

Although not as public as the widely mailed Wilson letter, the Fong fax illustrated the lengths to which campaigns will go to try to mold their message to voters.

It began when Fong and his chief consultants, Ray McNally and Richard Temple, split up, keeping the details to themselves.

“It’s one of those things,” said a circumspect McNally, who helped run Fong’s 1994 campaign for treasurer. “We had an irreconcilable difference of opinion about how the campaign would be structured and the direction it would take. Rather than continue the frustration on everyone’s part, we agreed that the best thing would be to shake hands and part company.”

Fair enough. Candidates and consultants get divorced somewhat regularly. Then came the fake fax.

Dirty! cried the Fong campaign. “The sad human being who has nothing better to do with their time or their money than to do things like this is the same guy or gal who used to pull wings off flies,” said Tony Malandra, a spokesman for the Fong campaign.

As for the Fong-consultant divorce, Malandra said it “has all the newsworthiness of a daily sunrise.”

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Many in the political world believed the fax was the handiwork of the campaign organizers for businessman Darrell Issa, one of Fong’s two Republican opponents in the Senate contest. The Issa team flatly denied authorship.

“It wasn’t from us,” said Issa spokesman Matt Cunningham. “The first I saw it was when it came over the fax.” But he was quick to jump on the apparent disarray in the Fong camp.

“Fong’s campaign is in trouble,” he said. “There’s dissatisfaction within the campaign. That’s obvious.”

A countering argument held that one of Fong’s own had authored the fax, knowing that blame would fall on the Issa team, which has earned a reputation for juvenile high jinks. Wayne Johnson, the consultant rumored to be the author, stoutly denied it.

“First of all, I would do it so much better,” he said. “It was so childish. It was so transparent. I just thought it was in really poor taste.” He threw suspicion back to the Issa team.

Not the most elegant episode for Republicans--who go into the Senate race as decided underdogs to Democratic incumbent Boxer, as more than one GOP activist noted. “Somebody has way too much time on their hands,” said one party official. “Normally, we’d like to see them involved in other activities.”