Senate Race Fast Becomes An Escalating Duel of Insults

By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, August 5, 2006

RICHMOND -- The campaign staff of Sen. George Allen (R) describes his Democratic opponent, James Webb, as a Hollywood elitist running a "joke" of a campaign. They call him "Junior."

Webb's team implies that Allen is a rich jock with a fondness for dude ranches and a weird middle name. They call him "Felix."

The election is more than three months away, but the two campaigns are locked in an increasingly nasty effort to characterize the other before voters form their own impressions.

The mean statements aren't coming directly from Webb or Allen, who have tried to stay above the fray. But their strategists, press release writers and spokespeople have been lobbing insults and carefully scripted zingers that they hope will stick to their opponent until the Nov. 7 election.

Allen campaign officials say that Webb, a former Marine who worked in the Reagan administration, is more familiar with Hollywood than Virginia, having written eight novels and helped produced a few movies.

Webb campaign officials say that Allen -- a former governor who grew up in Los Angeles but wears cowboy boots and rides horses -- acts like a country bumpkin and has close ties to President Bush and the oil industry.

Last week, Webb sent out a news release mocking Allen's effort to create an "American Cowboy Day" instead of sponsoring a bill in Congress to make it easier for Iraq war veterans to pay for college. In a debate earlier, Allen had said he wouldn't introduce a new G.I. Bill because the Senate moves too slowly.

The release -- titled "Yee Ha" -- was littered with stereotypes of how cowboys speak.

"Well listen up there missy! Galloping George Allen, has went and made a bill in that there Amerrycan Congriss! And we'll be darned tootin, if it ain't a legislatin aimed square at us cowpokes! . . . YEE HA Pardner! We're bustin with so much pride our chaps are chaffing!"

It continued, "Seems this Counterfeit California Cowboy went and named Ju-lie 22nd as the big day so load your ivory handled six guns, strap on your Sunday spurs, and head to town for the most ro otinin tootinin sell-ee-bray-shun we've seen in these parts since Wild Bill rode to town with Potato Creek Johnny and begun the gamblin' trade in these parts."

A day earlier, while highlighting Allen's resistance to a Democratic plan to raise the minimum wage, Webb strategist Steve Jarding sent out a statement referring to Allen's father, who was coach of the Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Rams.

"Gladhanding George who was born with a silver football toothguard in his mouth, has no time, no concept, no clue," Jarding said.

Webb spokeswoman Kristian Denny Todd sent out another statement the same day accusing Allen of "lining his pockets with money from oil companies," accepting $800,000 in campaign contributions from oil and energy companies since 1999.

Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager, is just as aggressive in his characterizations of Webb, who trails Allen in fundraising and polls.

Wadhams has grown fond of calling Webb's candidacy "pathetic."

"Hollywood movie producer and wealthy novelist James H. Webb Jr. knows nothing about Virginia, and he demonstrates it every day," Wadhams said in a recent interview.

Last week, after Webb called on Allen to return the oil industry contributions, Wadhams pointed out that Webb owns $64,000 of stock in Exxon-Mobil and Chevron. Wadhams then called Webb "a flaming hypocrite" who is also a "wealthy movie producer."

Two weeks ago, after Webb was forced to admit at a debate that he wasn't sure where Portsmouth's Craney Island was, Wadhams said the Democrat "doesn't have much of a grasp on reality."

"Senator Allen has been dealing with facts for the last 20 years, and James H. Webb Jr. has been writing books, making movies, making fiction," Wadhams said.

In an interview, Webb said the Allen campaign is undercutting his credentials as a former marine and secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration.

"It's an old Karl Rove technique," said Webb, referring to President Bush's chief political strategist, who is known for his hardball tactics. "They are trying to cut me away from where my true roots are."

In 2004, Wadhams helped Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) unseat Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D). Wadhams's tactics in that race prompted the online magazine Slate to dub him Rove's "heir apparent." Another senior Allen adviser, Chris LaCivita, was one of the creative forces behind the Swift Boat ads in 2004 that undermined the campaign of Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass).

Jarding, Webb's strategist, helped orchestrate Democratic Gov. Mark R. Warner's victory in 2oo1.

Wadhams said that Jarding and other Webb advisers are resorting to "personal cheap shots" against Allen because they have a weak candidate.

The exchanges, which are mostly aimed at the media and other insiders, have become routine in high-profile races. But leaders in both parties say such rhetoric could backfire with voters becoming tired of petty and personal attacks.

Last year, some strategists say, Jerry W. Kilgore, the Republican nominee for governor, lost in part after he went too far in personally criticizing Democrat Timothy M. Kaine. Voters also ousted Del. Bradley P. Marrs (R-Chesterfield) last year after he tried to make an issue out of his opponent's decision to accept a contribution from a gay businessman.

"My strong advice to both campaigns is run a positive campaign on the issues," said Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling, a Republican elected last year. "The biggest complaint I heard about the 2005 campaign was it was just too negative, and you heard it everywhere you went."

But the barbs between the Allen and Webb campaign staffs started flying shortly after Webb won the Democratic primary in June.

Last month, Wadhams sent out a statement criticizing Webb for opposing a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning. Jarding then called Wadhams a "bush league lap dog."

"While Jim Webb and others of George Felix Allen Jr.'s generation were fighting for our freedoms and for our symbols of freedom in Vietnam, George Felix Allen Jr. was playing cowboy at a dude ranch in Nevada," Jarding wrote.

As their staffs battle, the two candidates have tried to stay on message.

Allen and Webb had a mostly civil exchange during a debate two weeks ago in Hot Springs, near the West Virginia line. On Wednesday, Webb shared coffee with five voters in Richmond and talked about the war, health care and veterans issues but rarely mentioned Allen by name.

Webb's series of "kitchen table discussions" have provided new fodder, though.

When he announced the talks, Jarding said that Webb wanted to talk to small groups of voters because Allen "doesn't care much about the needs of average citizens."

Before he was even told of Jarding's comments, Wadhams called Webb's talks a "joke."

"George Allen will meet more people on the first day of his listening tour [Monday] than Hollywood movie producer James H. Webb Jr. will on his entire kitchen table tour," Wadhams said.