Cheap shot smears Fallon, misleads on
crime policy
The Register's
Editorial
Some Iowa Democrats must be seriously
worried about Ed Fallon’s primary challenge to
incumbent Congressman Leonard Boswell.
Evidence? They have rolled out the cheapest of
cheap shots in modern American politics: Fallon
is so soft on criminals he even thinks it’s OK
for sex offenders to live near
schools.
The assertion is made in a
direct-mail flier pointing out that Fallon cast
the only “no” vote as a member of the Iowa
House when the Legislature passed a law banning
convicted sex offenders from living within
2,000 feet of schools and other facilities
serving children.
The ad has a staged photo of a man in a
orange jumpsuit with “prisoner” on the back
standing outside a schoolyard filled with kids.
“Ed Fallon thought it was more important to
cast his vote to make a political statement
than to cast a vote that protects our kids from
these dangerous predators,” the ad
says.
The ad was paid for by a group
calling itself “Independent Voices, Red Brannan
Chair.” A Boswell campaign spokesman said of
the ad, “That’s not ours,” but he said Boswell
“stands with the overwhelming majority of the
Legislature and the governor in supporting this
measure.”
Fallon can say for himself why
he voted against the bill, but opposition to
the sex-offender residency law does not
translate into support for sex offenders living
near schools. In fact, leading county
prosecutors, other law-enforcement officials
and victims’ advocates oppose the law because
they say it has made Iowa communities less safe
by driving sex offenders underground. These
groups have lobbied the Legislature to repeal
the law and replace it with something more
effective, such as a law preventing offenders
from entering schools — something the existing
law does not prevent.
The residency
restriction is a classic example of feel-good
legislation. It was passed when Republicans
controlled the Legislature, but they were
joined by Democrats terrified of the
“soft-on-crime” label. Fear of the label has
led to all sorts of bad legislation that does
not make Iowans safer. It has, however, filled
the prisons to record levels and driven up the
cost of the criminal-justice system at the
expense of K-12 and higher education.
It
is time for lawmakers of both parties to have
the courage to admit that the “tough on crime”
mind-set has put state and federal government
on a path to insanity. But that won’t happen as
long as political parties take cheap shots at
candidates — even within their own party — with
simplistic and unfair campaign attack ads.
The residency restriction is a classic example of feel-good legislation. It was passed when Republicans controlled the Legislature, but they were joined by Democrats terrified of the "soft-on-crime" label. Fear of the label has led to all sorts of bad legislation that does not make Iowans safer. It has, however, filled the prisons to record levels and driven up the cost of the criminal-justice system at the expense of K-12 and higher education.
It is time for lawmakers of both parties to
have the courage to admit that the "tough on
crime" mind-set has put state and federal
government on a path to insanity. But that
won't happen as long as political parties take
cheap shots at candidates - even within their
own party - with simplistic and unfair campaign
attack ads.
The Fallon attack ad was
paid for by a group calling itself "Independent
Voices, Red Brannan Chair." A Boswell campaign
spokesman said of the ad, "That's not ours."
Does that mean Boswell supports such tactics?
If not, he should say so.