I had not planned to write anything when I heard that Scott Brown would be releasing an ad about the tornadoes that tore through the Springfield area last year. I thought it inappropriate, but ultimately there was little I could do.
Well, while I was waiting with the press gaggle after last week’s Senate debate, I ran into Mike Dobbs, who writes/edits The Reminder, a somewhat hyper-local free weekly with a good reputation. He actually lives right where the tornado blew through and was one of the lucky ones in that he only lost a car. He was not happy with Scott Brown.
During the walk around the neighborhood, Sarno pointed out Dobbs‘s house to Brown, knowing Dobbs was nearby to report on Brown‘s visit. Dobbs did not say that Sarno introduced him to Brown as a reporter, although it would probably have been obvious. However, Dobbs does remember Brown ignoring Sarno’s introduction.
“He refused to talk to me,” Dobbs remembers noting that Brown just walked on. Dobbs added that he had wanted to talk to the senator about working with the insurance company.
If you read the whole piece (please so), you will see that Dobbs has been critical of both candidates.
It made for great fodder to close out my Springfield debate coverage (while also covering the oft-ignored complexity of doing your job as an elected official and not showing off for it later).
It is probably likely that anybody here likes Brown’s substance-light “from the road” ads. But few have offended like this, it seems.
“This is too big an issue to be reduced to a soundbite,” [Dobbs] said.
