Open & Honest: Let's keep the DFL party that way [Updated]
[Updated: Republican videographer refused to register]
The Republican Party stands for secrecy, back room deals, hidden agendas, secret meetings and lying about all of this. The Democratic Party represents honesty, transparency, good government and doing the people's work. The MN Republican Party is frightened of any press coverage of their events. The press were not allowed to make video or audio recordings at the MN-06 convention at which Michele Bachmann was nominated. Obviously, they didn't want her to embarrass herself by having one of her insane rants recorded. Lately, lefty bloggers who attend Republican events are getting harrassed as well.
What bothers me is I read that a Republican video blogger was denied entrance to the MN-02 convention.
We are different from the Republican Party. We are better than the Republican Party. We need to keep that difference clear. I hope and expect that this will just be an anomaly and will not happen again.
Update
Now the truth comes out. Joe Bodell has the scoop: the Republican videographer refused to register.
As reported on The UpTake earlier, the DFL has a pretty open policy when it comes to letting citizen journalists videotape its conventions. But the DFL does have rules and today we saw what happens when those rules aren't followed. At today's DFL CD2 Convention, a Republican video "tracker" was asked to stop videotaping from the visitors section of the Faribault High School auditorium.
(MN Campaign Report)
»
- The Big E's blog
- Login or register to post comments
Stumble It!
Why no Video Taping
You just condemned the GOP for no videotaping at the CD6 convention. Why no video taping at your convention. Something to hide? Or do you just have rules like everybody else. Rules don't necessarily mean censorship.
DFL not always so open
Videotaping was allowed in the press section - not the visitors section - and the person was asked to sign in, and they refused.
But don't tell me the DFL is always open and transparent in their process. The Mall of America Boondoggle is an example of the worst of backroom politics.
The DFL ain't perfectly open either
At the CD8 DFL convention last Saturday, an announcement was made near the end that Norm had a friend there from southern california, and they pointed to a young man at the back who had been filming Franken ever since he arrived mid-afternoon. I should say "trying to film" because one of the Franken supporters had been putting his Franken sign in front of the guy's camera. We didn't kick him out, but we made his life difficult and I was mystified as to why the Franken guy would want to give the opposition any ammunition or reason to think that Franken was afraid of being filmed...?
We have been going through this at many conventions
The DFL is open, however that does not mean we stop what we are doing to give an outsider some sort of special treatment. We wave signs, any visitor sitting there would have had their view of the universe obscured by signs from time to time. And yes, that person was probably having fun waving his sign and asserting his rights, directly in front of the camera. It is that guy - territory thing.
Therefore, media is supposed to notify the convention organizers way ahead of time, who then try to set aside a special place, where vision is not obscured, even if the angle is not great. Then media is supposed to show up early and stay out of the way, so the people on the floor are not interfered with. Remember the conventions business is on the floor, not to put on a show for media.
I had a fairly long talk with that Republican tracker in Duluth
He had been asking me so speculate about Jack's improved chances following the bad press Franken had been getting during the past week. Instead of giving generously of my opinions, I asked him who he was with and he answered right away. We talked, but of course I didn't say anything negative about Al Franken to a Republican tracker.
I also heard the chair giving the guy a humorous hard time, indicating that prolonged exposure to Democrats might improve his politics, indicating that he might be tracking Norm Coleman soon since Norm has been known to change his stripes. It seemed to me that the tone was light and bantering...nothing designed to threaten.
I did also witness an incident with a Franken sign being placed in front of the guy's camera. I thought it was a cheap move, and I said so to the guy who did it.
Listen, I think intimidation is a Republican game, not one that we as Democrats want to play. I am fine with making a joke with these guys. It is actually a humorous situation. (I remember, back at the November candidates' debate at Roosevelt High, there was a broken seat right at front-row center, and we made sure it had a sign on it as reserved for the Republican trackers. All in good fun.)
Let these misinformed people continue to believe that they can change hearts and minds by bombing people. Let them keep believe that intimidation indicates that you have won the argument in the marketplace of ideas. It is simply not true, as they will eventually discover.
The trackers and those that edit their tapes will continue to take our statements out of context. Why not give them the whole speech. Truly, I believe that there is room for conversion there as well. There is hope for them up until the moment they die. Who knows, they might become Democrats if we treat them with respect.