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* The DCCC has been posting some tracker videos of Rep. Mike Bost on YouTube. Obviously, any thuggish behavior caught on tape by the infamously argumentative Bost or his campaign staff or supporters would be video gold.
To his and his campaign’s credit, Bost appears to understand the consequences of any slight misbehavior. If you watch the two raw videos from Belleville’s annual chili cook-off, you’ll see Bost and his crew doing their best to just act natural and not worry about what the tracker is doing.
Smart move.
* Indeed, in this brief excerpt from Part 2, you can hear a new out-of-state Bost worker named Chris pleasantly introducing himself to a fairly new out-of-state DCCC tracker named Megan. The two chit-chat about where they’re from, cheese steaks, etc...
Also, in all the videos I watched over the weekend, the Dem tracker doesn’t go out of her way to provoke Bost, which is better behavior than others we’ve seen.
Considering the stakes here, it’s encouraging that both sides are maintaining a level of professionalism and courtesy. At least, for now.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 9:02 am
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In an interview in NYT mag yesterday, Mitt Romney said he wished he had employed his own self-tracker, just so he always had a camera in his face, to keep him from saying anything unfortunate.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 9:08 am
This tracker isn’t telling us the key information that I really want to know: how was the chili?
Comment by The Captain Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 9:30 am
That’s the only way to deal with trackers — or to be a tracker.
On a non-Illinois race I worked on (years ago), we would always make a point to allow one (but not more) tracker from the other campaign in to all press events, and gave them a press release. They were going to get the information anyway, and being open in front of the press kept the opponent from being able to distort what my candidate said.
The opponent, on the other hand, would be adamant about keeping our trackers out. (Including my personal experience when they asked me to leave a public park. To which the state trooper providing security said he wouldn’t kick me out.) Again, press folks saw this. We still got all the info we needed.
Tracking has gotten a lot more aggressive than those days. But it backfires. The only way to deal with it is to accept that trackers, just like members of the public, will see you. As long as the trackers don’t cross the line (remember the tracker that followed Obama into the men’s room?), you look bad trying to stop one. As for trackers, you don’t want to be the story either.
Comment by VM Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 9:32 am
Refreshing to see people act like adults. Especially this campaign season.
Comment by Mason born Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 10:20 am
You have to wonder when the parties are going to start using drones to track candidates (if they are not using them already).
Comment by Jeepster Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 10:20 am
Everybody, including politicians, will talk and act differently in public then in private settings. With live microphones, cell phone cameras, and live trackers, politicians will be on their best behavior. What they are going to do after they are elected is often very different then the song and dance they put on before the election.
Comment by DuPage Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 10:28 am
Considering that most of what we’ve seen from campaigns so far is accusations and trash-talking, it’s nice to see that the two sides can be civil, even friendly, toward one-another, even if it is just the staffers.
Comment by AnnaMan Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 10:39 am
DuPage, is there any such thing as a private setting anymore?
Comment by a drop in Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 10:48 am
Always fun for a candidate to personally talk to any tracker, thank them for being involved, and offer them coffee or whatever, before taking the podium. They have a tough job.
Comment by walker Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 11:07 am
@walker: as long as you don’t come up with a nickname like “Macaca” for the opponent’s tracker
Comment by VM Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 11:48 am
The irony here is that the DCCC is accumulating hundreds of hours of video of Mike Bost behaving well that will never be seen- yet they play the 3 minute video of his rant at Madigan over and over again.
Ultimately, the joke is on them though: the people of Southern Illinois want someone to fight against all the crap that goes on in Washington, just like they wanted Mike to fight against Madigan’s crap in Springfield. The commercial showing the video of Mike’s rant helps his campaign more than it hurts it.
Comment by Sue Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 12:03 pm
KCCO - Keep Calm Chive On
Comment by Modest Proposal Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 3:30 pm
Good for Bost. Good for both the young workers.
Comment by A guy... Monday, Oct 6, 14 @ 3:43 pm