N.J.'s Whitman speaks at U.

Dozens of students interested in politics on the other side of the Delaware River flooded the Annenberg School for Communication yesterday to hear New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman speak about her experiences as a politician -- and as a woman. The speech was sponsored by the Women in Leadership Series Club, which hosts a monthly forum between top women leaders and Penn undergraduates. University President Judith Rodin was last month's speaker, while Annenberg Dean Kathleen Hall Jamieson is scheduled to speak on April 2. Following a brief introduction by Rodin, Whitman began her speech by focusing on her political strategies and experiences with advertising campaigns. She then showed several examples from past New Jersey political campaigns, depicting negative, cut-throat ads that were used against opponents in those races. "I believe that a political campaign is not about destroying your opponent but about building upon your own issues," said Whitman, who later added that she wanted her campaigns to "take the poison out of political discussion." She cited the bitter 1996 U.S. Senate race between Dick Zimmer and eventual victor Bob Torricelli as an example of a negative campaign. Whitman noted that such an opponent-bashing strategy crowds out the real issues surrounding elections, while also damaging the power of the winning candidate to actually change policies. "People often have to choose the evil of two lessers," Whitman said. "Polls indicate that negative campaigning destroys public interest in the elections and in the elected official." Whitman then described her own policies toward campaign ads, which led to what she described as one of the cleanest campaigns in New Jersey history -- the 1997 gubernatorial campaign against Democrat Jim McGreevey. She said that attack ads, although useful in some contexts, should only reflect upon a person's political record. Whitman also touched upon the stereotypes she had to face as a "Republican female candidate," as well as the necessity for women politicians to prove how "tough" and able they are in order to compete in the political arena. Several of the approximately 100 people who attended Whitman's speech said they enjoyed her address. "To see any sort of woman in a leadership position? and to see what truly motivates them, is a tremendous learning experience for us," said College junior and Student Committee on Undergraduate Education Chairperson Rachael Goldfarb. "Students can definitely learn from and examine women leaders in different fields." Goldfarb is also one of the six founding members of the Women in Leadership Series Club. Other members include College sophomores Emily Pollack, Debra Kurshan and Sara Shenken as well as College junior Roshini Thayaparan and senior Laura Schulman. The lecture was co-presented by the Annenberg Public Policy Center and held during Jamieson's Augmentation and Public Advocacy class, which partially focuses on campaign strategies. "I definitely support Governor Whitman's strategy of a positive ad campaign," said College sophomore Maria DeMaio, a student in Jamieson's class. "Governor Whitman is a great role model for women's leadership. Leaders like her benefit the students who they share their experiences with."