CHAPTER 3

 

MAKING ETHICAL CAMPAIGN PROMISES

 

Tell the truth and you won't have so much to remember.

 --Abraham Lincoln

Are you a politician or does lying just run in your family? 

--Fannie Flagg, “Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe”

FIVE TIPS FOR MAKING ETHICAL POLICICAL COMMITMENTS

  1. Promises should be made with the good-faith intent to fulfill them.
  2. Promises should be realistic.
  3. Fulfilling a promise should be within the jurisdiction of the office you are seeking.
  4. Promises should not differ depending upon the recipient of the promise.
  5. Promises should be transparent so the voters know to whom and to what you are committed.

Ethical campaign promises should be realistic, clearly articulated, made with the intent to fulfill the promise, and capable of being accomplished. Don’t make promises about something you don’t have the power or authority to achieve. For example, a state legislator has limited authority in an area preempted by the federal government and therefore can’t make a promise to do something that is solely within the jurisdiction of Congress. As another example, a person in an executive position cannot promise to bring about by him or herself a result that can only be achieved through legislation. Also remember that overpromising, and not delivering, can result in an end of your political career. Who can forget how President George H. W. Bush lost reelection when he broke his promise of, “No new taxes.”29

Ethical campaign promises should also be consistent. Candidates who promise one group one thing and another group the total opposite lose all credibility and demonstrate lack of integrity. Not only is it unethical—it will be bad for your campaign. In the days before the internet, social media, and the 24-hour news cycle, politicians may have been more able to get away with being “flexible” in their commitments. Today a politician who makes inconsistent promises will most likely find him or herself explaining on the nightly news.

Where your campaign might be tempted to make inconsistent promises is when seeking endorsements from various interest groups. A current standard practice is for interest groups to require candidates to answer questionnaires prior to endorsing. In concept this is perfectly reasonable as groups want to ensure that your interests are aligned with theirs prior to giving their support. However, often candidate responses to questionnaires are kept confidential allegedly to allow the candidate to feel more comfortable answering. When a campaign really needs an endorsement, secret responses provide the temptation to answer one way for one group of endorsers and entirely differently for another group. If staff is charged with responding, it is helpful to have the same person take on this task so there are no accidental inconsistencies. Make sure that all responses are also consistent with the candidate’s position and philosophies.

Another problem with confidential questionnaire responses is that candidates are in essence creating secret obligations on matters about which voters have a right to know. Consider publishing all of your responses on your campaign web site. If an endorsing group does not want their questions and your responses to be made known, question the endorser’s motives. Are they creating an obligation that they know voters won’t like but that can be used to put pressure on you once you are in office? That kind of endorsement will certainly prove more trouble down the road than it is worth.