Trackers and Ethics

After last week's news that a Republican employee tracking Jeff Merkley had lied about his identity, Northwest Republican accused Democratic trackers of using the same deceitful tactics. But as Kevin at Preemptive Karma notes, the post has backfired on its author:

Specifically referring to the coverage at Blue Oregon, Ted Piccolo (aka "Coyote") cite's Russ Kelley of the Merkley for Senate campaign addressing ethical standards for campaign trackers: “But there’s an honest way to do it, and there’s a dishonest way to do it. You find out where they are through public notices and things like that. You don’t call and misrepresent yourself."

Apparently feeling supremely confident that he had the ultimate "Gotcha" rebuttal, Picollo posts pictures of a DSCC-paid tracker wearing a badge identifying himself as a member of the "press" as evidence that trackers for Merkley are equally deceptive because of course the tracker wasn't actually a member of the press. There was only one HUGE problem - the tracker was told to wear the badge by the GOP event staff AFTER he had willingly practiced full disclosure of who he was and why he was there. That revelation left Picollo sputtering rather comically.

There are two ironies here. One being that an attempt to challenge the ethics of Russ Kelley backfired badly. The other being that the Dem tracker who practiced pristine ethics was being payed by the DSCC. Yes, that would be the same DSCC that was much maligned in the Oregon Lefty blogosphere earlier in this primary season.

Read the rest and discuss at Preemptive Karma.

Jan. 30, 2008 Posted in elsewhere.