by Marilyn M.
Member since:
February 14, 2007

Obama Campaign Officials Won't Let Reporters Interview Rally Attendees

August 13, 2012 11:27 AM UTC
views: 0 | 3 people recommend this | comments: 17

What do they fear?

 

 

Obama Campaign Officials Ban Journalists From Interviewing Voters At Rally
Obama campaign officials barred a Pennsylvania reporter from talking to people who were in line to attend an Obama rally.

 

The reporter, Dave Davies, wrote that “during the two-hour wait for the rally to begin, I wanted to talk to some of the supporters attending the event,” but was told, “You can't be interviewing people in line,” by an Obama campaign official. 

 

“My experience Thursday at a Michelle Obama event in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania was a first,” Davies wrote. “Obama campaign operatives barred me from talking to voters outside the event, to the point of interfering with my interviews and grabbing my microphone.”

 

At one point, Davies writes his microphone was grabbed and when he again tried to speak to a different couple who were approaching the line.  A different campaign official approached him and took away his microphone without identifying himself. 

 

One attendee whom Davies tried to interview said the Obama campaign’s tactics were “un-American.” 

 

 

*******

 

 

The reporter said that in 20 years on the job he had never experienced anything like this before.

 

Again, I wonder what they fear...


Comments: 17

Janice J. Aug 13, 2012, 12:56pm UTC
I don't like the practice no matter which politician but this is common practice for all politicians especially Presidential candidates. You need to understand that political rallys are intended for the TV audience, not the attendees. Everthing is carefully controlled and orchestrated. (1) what the people around the candidate look like i.e gender, race, etc. so the viewer will get a message from what they see. (2) who attends - usually the party or campaign issues tickets for those they want to attend. (3) what signs will show to get out the intended message (4) the size of the room or physical location to accentuate the size of the crowd. (5) who will speak to the media and what they will say. and so on. EVERY CAMPAIGN PAYS ATTENTION TO THESE THINGS TO PROJECT WHAT THEY WANT THE VIEWER TO SEE AND BELIEVE! Nothing is left to chance. During his 2nd campaign in Tampa George Busch operatives had retirees arrested outside the venue for demonstrating with signs negative to him. Charges were never filed but the "negative" was removed before TV cameras recorded them.
Marilyn M. Aug 13, 2012, 1:16pm UTC
Nope, not every campaign. The crowds at the McCain/Palin rallies were whoever arrived and said what they said.

Besides, this is about reporters interviewing folks before the rally while they stood in line. Again....at the McCain/Palin rallies that was normal.
Janice J. Aug 13, 2012, 2:42pm UTC
And you know this because?
Marilyn M. Aug 13, 2012, 8:12pm UTC
Gosh, Janice, because I went to a few of them. Duh.
Janice J. Aug 13, 2012, 8:42pm UTC
Be your usual condenscending b---- but merely attending such events would not make you privy to any number of the criteria I mentioned even if they allowed any yehwhoo to be present. Operatives in the campaign would carfully carry out a lot of these criteria without your having a clue they were being done. If it wasn't being done, then staff was not taking care of business. But then maybe that's at least part of why the candidates LOST!
Marilyn M. Aug 13, 2012, 10:14pm UTC
Janice, Janice, Janice. There were persons of all races and political affiliations in the crowd. There were people who liked them, loved them, weren't sure, and didn't like them. While standing in line, reporters did ask questions of people in line. Like I said, nothing like what Obama does.
John S. (arizona) Aug 13, 2012, 1:49pm UTC
It's all about controlling the message...
Personally, I don't see how they get away with that in a public area, and outside an event like that?
Marilyn M. Aug 13, 2012, 8:13pm UTC
I know. But....remember when they passed some law that says the secret service guys can decide that a place is off limits to whatever they decide?
Does not surprise me at all, from our "deceptor-in-chief"
Marilyn M. Aug 13, 2012, 8:13pm UTC
No, me neither.
And he said he would be transparent LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

The only thing about him that IS transparent, is that he is a liar, and no better (and even worse) than Bush!!!!!!
Marilyn M. Aug 14, 2012, 9:56am UTC
Yeah. Transparcney. I guess that's another word that lib/progs and conservatives define differently.
LaRue B. Aug 14, 2012, 7:10am UTC
Nice article!
Marilyn M. Aug 14, 2012, 9:56am UTC
:)

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