Vote for These Boobs!

Political campaigns seem to reach for new lows every election cycle and this year is no exception. The attack ads and negative campaigning make me want to scream, or at least not vote. (Don't worry, I will vote. If you don't vote, you can't complain.) But a Libertarian candidate running a write-in campaign for governor in Alabama has come up with an even lower low. Loretta Nall is using sex to sell her politics.

The AP reports that:

Loretta Nall, the Libertarian Party’s write-in candidate for governor of Alabama, is campaigning on her cleavage and hoping that voters will eventually focus on her platform. “It started out as a joke, but it blew up into something huge,” said Nall, a 32-year-old with dyed blond hair.

Her campaign is offering T-shirts and marijuana stash boxes adorned with a photo of her with a plunging neckline and the words: “More of these boobs.” Below that are pictures of other candidates for governor — including Republican incumbent Bob Riley and Democratic Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley — and the words: “And less of these boobs.”

Her Web site has a cartoon of someone stuffing bills down the front of her low-cut top. And for $50 donation she apparently offers to show a cartoon of herself flashing her breasts.

Nall, who spoke in an interview Friday on the Capitol steps, realizes that is about as close as she is going to get to the governor’s office. But her outrageous antics have helped her attract attention not normally enjoyed by write-in candidates.

Nall is calling for the withdrawal of the Alabama National Guard from Iraq, tax credits for sending children to private school and home schooling, opting out of the No Child Left Behind Act, legalizing marijuana, and not complying with the Patriot Act and the Real ID Act.

The Libertarian Party could not collect the 40,000 voter signatures needed to get her name on the ballot, and she has not reached the $25,000 threshold in contributions that would require her to file a campaign finance report.

Despite the political handicaps, she knows how to get free attention. Early in her campaign, she talked about how her misdemeanor arrest for marijuana possession in 2002 led her to start the U.S. Marijuana Party. Then she entertained readers of her campaign Web site with lots of information about her personal life, including a discussion of why she doesn’t wear panties.

My reaction is disgust. Now I'm sure Ms. Nall is entertaining and I definitely agree with portions of her political platform. I read through her campaign site and she appears to be more than just talk. She backs up her beliefs with action. But I simply cannot get on board with using sexuality, even in a funny way, for a political campaign. Yeah, I chuckled a bit when I read the story. But then I got mad. People running for political office have the ability to influence public opinion and to reach a wide audience. Defaulting to the quick joke about boobies is an insult to intelligent women everywhere and an insult to the political process. Yes, it got Ms. Nall some attention, but it also made her into a joke. So, Ms. Nall, do us a favor and keep talking about your policies. But, please, leave the talk about "the girls" to the adolescent boys.