Imagine, for a moment, the year 2006.

Iowa State President Martin Jischke and Department of Public Safety Director Loras Jaeger have resigned from their university positions to throw their hats into the political ring.

Jischke and Jaeger are running against each other for governor of Iowa. The race is tight in October, so the campaigns kick into gear, and the candidates start attacking each other.

Imagine seeing these ads on TV:

• It’s a pastoral scene with classical music playing in the background. A Jischke supporter steps into view. “Loras Jaeger is wrong for Iowa,” the supporter says. “He doesn’t believe in authority and publicly told Iowa State students that anarchy is the best form of government.” The screen fills with the words “question authority” from an Oct. 1, 1998, Iowa State Daily. The supporter’s voice says, “Iowa needs Governor Jischke,” as the screen fades to black.

• The screen is filled with images of Scary, Sporty, Baby, Ginger and Posh Spices, while their song “Wannabe” plays in the background. Then, the head of Ginger Spice morphs to the smiling face of Jischke. A young female voice says, “While president of Iowa State University, Martin Jischke publicly longed to join the Spice Girls as ‘Interesting Spice.'” The image morphs to an unflattering picture of Jischke standing alone. “Is this who you want for governor of Iowa?” the voice asks.

Of course, anyone who knows Jischke and Jaeger knows that the Spice Girls comment and the anarchist quote were taken completely out of context. But that doesn’t stop the ad writers.

Ridiculous? Of course. But unfortunately, this kind of silly, negative, out-of-context advertising has already taken over Iowa politics.

In ads during this year’s gubernatorial race, Tom Vilsack and Jim Ross Lightfoot have taken turns pulling votes, quotes and soundbites out of their original contexts in a quest to pull the wool over Iowa voters.

From computers in the classrooms to nude dancing to hanging up on constituents, issues have been twisted and turned until ads have nothing to do with either candidate’s views on anything substantial.

Yes, negative advertising has been proven to give candidates a boost in the polls. But this negativity is beyond simple attacks, and it needs to be reeled in by 2002.

We challenge the next gubernatorial candidates to keep their ads on the issues and their eyes off the Spice Girls.