Meet Scott Brown’s campaign tracker, the guy designated to hit the opposition’s campaign events and tape stuff, on the off chance he’ll get some sort of macaca moment on camera. It’s a boring job of listening to the same campaign pitches over and over with the tiniest outside chance of catching something worthy of one of the MA GOP’s astoundingly awesome (for us, pathetic, for them) edited–videos-and-audio-out-of-context.
This shot I took was near the end of Elizabeth Warren’s volunteer meeting in Lowell today (packed like all the others and a great event), as she was talking to a reporter and then getting in her Toyota to leave.
The reason I use the phrase “stay classy” in all this is that this guy was filming during the post-event chats Elizabeth was having with individual people. Only at the last minute did I think to capture him sticking his camera right up on the conversations she was having, but at this moment, he was actually standing further back from the action than he had been doing for the 20+ minutes before, when Elizabeth had been talking to supporters near the entrance of the building. I remarked on him during that time, wondering WTF he was doing because I felt he was way too close (at first I thought he was with the campaign, but then realized, no way), and feeling bad for the people she was trying to talk to, since they didn’t sign up to be videotaped at point blank range 24/7.
This was a meeting of supporters and volunteers (or potential ones anyway) which makes it a little less of a problem. But imagine this was outside some diner somewhere with Elizabeth trying to have a conversation with real, live voters. If I were a voter trying to talk to a candidate, and this dude was sticking camera right ON me, in my face, the whole time, I’d be nervous, confused, and likely to cut my conversation short prematurely. People don’t love being in front of cameras (unless they are used to it).
It’s one thing to dog the opposition with your little digital cameras (and it’s really the only strategy Brown has right now, since he can’t run on his dismal voting record) but it’s another thing to stick so close that you intimidate people. Most average people do not like to be videotaped, and when a camera is out they get nervous. It’s rude, at a bare minimum, to film every second of every conversation Elizabeth has with people, not to mention at the very close range this guy was standing the whole time.
Maybe Scott Brown ought to teach his campaign staffers a few manners. At a minimum, how to step back far enough not to intimidate people who want to get to know a candidate. Intimidating voters seems a pretty poor way to run a campaign.
But hey, if that’s all you got, Scotto…well, you ought to be very, very worried. And it’s obvious from your tracker’s actions today that you’re frantic as hell for something, anything to use against Elizabeth Warren. We can smell the sweat from here, kiddo. I would stop being so obviously scared to death, if I were you – voters aren’t likely to respond very well to desperation.
An EWarren staffer ought to call the SBrown staff and have a conversation. I suspect that it’s the kind of thing that they could work out over the telephone.
I’d add that many cameras don’t have very good mics, so getting close is the only convenient way to capture the audio. That doesn’t excuse it, but it does help to explain it.
They’re the most sophomoric bunch around. I suspect you’re being a little too idealistic here. If Warren’s camp called Brown over this, I’m sure next time Brown would just send two cameramen.
Brown is not underfunded.
It’s inept, loutish, or both.
I don’t see why this was front paged, its common campaign practice and something that progressives have done to catch conservatives saying one thing to one audience and another to a different one, as was the case with Allen. Only makes sense its used against us now, as it was when Obama made his “cling to” remarks or Kerry’s Iraq joke got overheard. Its a way to keep them honest, and frankly something campaigns have done since the invention of film. And frankly all it will show is that Warren does have the common touch and is not an out of touch elitist afraid to level straight with the voters. This is one impressive candidate and it will be great to vote for her and not just against Brown.
Obama’s “cling to” remarks were not recorded by a tracker working for a Republican campaign. They were recorded by a citizen-journalist type who was working for HuffPo, IIRC. And Kerry’s “botched joke” wasn’t recorded by a tracker either – that was in a speech delivered in a public setting, with cameras rolling.
to tape the event, speeches, etc. It’s a whole nother thing to tape EVERY second of EVERY moment the candidate tries to talk to someone. It’s plain rudeness, if not to Warren (which I’m sure they don’t care a whit about) then to the people she is trying to have a conversation with. THOSE people just want to meet a candidate, NOT have a video camera in their face.
By all means, though, GOP and Brown – keep up those videos! They are so helpful to us.
`a supporter (not the campaign) should stand behind the tracker at every event holding a sign that says, “you are being taped by Senator Brown’s campaign, not the Warren people, because the Warren campaign do not intimidate voters in this way.”
NY Times article.
What are the liberals complaining about? Oh, the shoe is now on the other foot?
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) has had an individual shadowing Sen. Brown for some time now. It appears the Democrats can dish it out but they can’t take it.
I wonder how big the crowds are at Warrens’ campaign stops and how much money she is raising at each stop? The crowds don’t seem to be very large for some reason.
Welcome to BMG, mr. (or ms.) retired-veteran.
Your first post is questioning the size of Warren’s volunteer meetings? Let me know how that works out for you.
Shadowing a candidate in public speaking events and is logical. Shadowing personal conversations is something else. Show us the photo of the Warren tracker doing that…
oh right! You can’t shadow Brown at public events… he doesn’t have any.
n/t
She’s doing just fine in that department, thanks.
Warren outraises Brown
the non-public-speech non-media video (ie chasing down a candidate for questions, which many R’s can’t stand answering) where a Democratic operative has captured and spun something from a personal conversation with a voter. Dems just don’t DO this. It’s rude, and if a Dem did it I’d be pissed.
But hey, if you want to compare a public speech wherein a Republican says something awful to sticking a camera in people’s faces for a full half hour AFTER the event is over, please, by all MEANS. Keep it up. I just wanted to be sure that everyone understood what the Brown campaign is doing to people.
Who’s Luke?
I’d just like to note that she is clearly talking to a reporter in this photo. I don’t see any reason why that should be off limits.
I see that she is talking to somebody with a pen and a notepad. While that is common gear for reporters, do you have any further evidence that that woman is a reporter?
This guy was doing this the ENTIRE time she was chatting with the people at the event after it was done. I only thought to record it at the end, but the REASON I recorded it was because it was something I had remarked on earlier.
Reading comprehension – not just for fourth graders!
Isn’t it enough that she is the intellectual foundation of thw OWS movement, without comparing her troubles to a crucified Christ?
…I thought he was comparing the cameramans actions to a crucifying centurion…
I bet he ends up voting for Warren, in the end….
The tracker happens to be a friend, and while this man clearly supports Scott Brown (nice dream, petr), he actually doesn’t officially work for the campaign. Before he was tracking Elizabeth Warren, he was tracking everyone else in the field including Setti Warren, Alan Khazei, and Bob Massie. At every event I have been at with him, he has stayed until the end filming every word out of the respective candidate’s mouth.
The tracker will be at almost every public event for Warren for the next year. However, if she happens to stop by a diner or have any unannounced events, the tracker will likely not be in attendance. Finally, don’t be aggressive with him, because that will look poorly upon us as Democrats who want to run a positive campaign to defeat Scott Brown.