Few politicians want hired trackers to film what they do or say, even at public events. It’s uncomfortable. But politicians know trackers exist for political purposes, to catch them saying something out of touch — or to later hold them to their word. So, if they act honestly and intelligently, they shouldn’t have anything to hide. After all, they only encounter trackers at public events.
The Maine Democratic Party has hired a tracker to record Gov. Paul LePage at his public gatherings. And on Tuesday LePage used the tracker as an excuse to cancel a meeting with the Legislature’s Democratic leaders, saying he wouldn’t meet with them until they called on their party to stop tracking him. The fact remains that LePage needs to do his job.
As a reason for calling off the tracker, LePage said that the tracker filmed him at a Veterans Day event last month as he spoke with an elderly veteran with deteriorating health. “There was no need to have filmed this private discussion for political purposes,” LePage said in a statement issued by his office.
He is mistaken, however. The Democratic Party released the 53-minute video of the event, which included speeches and singing. According to the video, LePage acknowledged the tracker at the beginning of his talk, calling him his “individual paparazzi” who “gets my worst side every time.” It shows no conversation between LePage and a veteran of ill health. LePage has, then, proved the point of why the Democratic Party has hired a tracker: to catch what honestly happened in order to hold the governor accountable.
The tracker must follow certain rules. He must get permission to attend a public event. He must only act as a bystander and is not allowed to ask questions. He must not film private conversations. Sometimes, he is allowed to attend but not film. If he is asked to leave, even if he has been given permission to be present, he is not to cause a stir. Since Aug. 1, he has been asked to leave 11 events. (This is his first job out of college, according to the party).
Republicans and Democrats alike have employed trackers. “I gotta tell you, I think it’s pretty lousy,” independent U.S. Sen.-elect Angus King said at a September debate during the recent campaign season when he pointed out a tracker hired by Republicans to follow him. Democrat Libby Mitchell, during her 2010 bid for the Blaine House, complained about a tracker hired by the Republican Governors Association.
He doesn’t have to like being filmed at public events, but by not accepting a meeting with Senate President Justin Alfond of Portland and House Speaker Mark Eves of North Berwick, LePage took his disagreement about the tracker too far. He was supposed to have a chance, though brief, to discuss the state’s budget situation. The meeting also offered him a chance to show his willingness to work with Democrats.
Instead, he made the problem worse by raising the issue of the tracker again on Wednesday when members of the House and Senate were sworn in — angering both Democrats and Republicans on a day meant to be celebratory. No tracker was needed to record LePage’s comments before the Legislature: He tried to joke that the party should have hired a Mainer, rather than someone from Massachusetts, for the job. His comment shortly afterward — “I want to work with each and every one of you” — sounded hollow.
The situation with the political tracker would be silly if it didn’t appear to threaten real collaboration. Democrats have continued to say their door is open, so it’s up to LePage to show he’s willing to put the matter aside. Perhaps in doing so he could point out how glad he is to be the reason a young person moved to Maine.
It shows no conversation between LePage and a veteran of ill health. LePage has, then, proved the point of why the Democratic Party has hired a tracker: to catch what honestly happened in order to hold the governor accountable.
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Apparently that is what the governor fears.. being held accountable for the tales he tells.
If you were a democrat operative would you release that piece of video? No I didn’t think so.
Just because you haven’t seen it or it hasn’t been released doesn’t mean it wasn’t done.
It doesn’t mean it was done, either. It’s up to LePage to prove that it was done. You can’t prove a negative.
And how pray tell does the Governor “prove” something when he doesn’t own or control the tape?
What to prove the Governor lied? Let the person who owns the tape release the unedited version. That’s pretty easy isn’t it.
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Well since the tape in question is the property of whoever taped and/or paid for it they would have the proof that it did or didn’t happen. Why not release the unedited version? That would prove one side or the other are liars about what was or wasn’t taped.
I thought it was released.
It may have been. I haven’t seen it and the link above does not like the device I am on so I cannot view it.
My question is does it show the entire event from the time the Govneror walks into the room to the time he leaves the building? If it does then that calls I to question of the Governors honesty. If it doesn’t then how do we know we have all the video available?
jd, what would be the benefit of taping something like that and never releasing it? Why would the tracker do that? The Democratic Party released the entire tape, unedited. Oh… wait, I get it. Birth certificate, right?
Who said anything about a birth certificate? Not me and I have never questioned the President’s birth certificate if that us what you are getting at.
Now to the rest of your post. My understanding is this “videographer” is filming the Governors public appearances. Is that correct? Yes.
So why film it? To obtain a historical record for future generations? No, I don’t think that is the reason.
To provide video tape to media outlets? No, I don’t think that is the reason either.
Maybe the person is filming so the Governor will have a keepsake from his single term as Governor? No, I don’t that is the reason either.
Maybe the videographer is filming at the behest of the Democrat party so they will have material for campaign ads in 2014? Yeah, I think that’s the reason don’t you?
What I meant by “birth certificate” is that you seem like the kind of person who is going to continue to come up with reasons that it’s possible no matter what is done to prove otherwise, so arguing the point is not worth it. Yet here I am doing it, I guess that says a lot about me.
To your point: of course that’s the reason. The GOP films Democratic candidates to find pieces to use against them, the Democrats do the same. My point is, why would he then go and film a separate piece recording a private encounter, which he’s been told not to do? I spoke to a GOP tracker who was tracking Libby Mitchell, and he told me the same thing, he was there to track her, not the general public. The Democratic Party wouldn’t get a benefit out of that tape (of the private conversation) because they’d look bad if they used it.
No upside from making the tape, big downside. Plus they’ve released the tape that was made. Which makes more sense, Gov. LePage lied about the encounter (no downside because the 39% of Mainers who like him won’t believe anyone else) or the Democratic Party lied (no upside to making the tape, big downside). The cost benefit analysis is easy.
First isn’t interesting how people assume things about people they don’t know.
Second aren’t you getting tired of “gotcha” politics? Have we really come to the point in time where it is better to follow people around, filming their every word, body language, etc…? I am so tired of politics “as usual”.
Kerry – Swift Boating.
Romney – He killed my wife.
Obama – He’s from Kenya.
McCain – He’s not an American citizen
We have more important things to worry about…
$16,345,386,545,261.85 debt and counting
Unemployment Rate Drops; More People Stop Looking For Work in November
The Middle East is about to explode.
China continues to “load” us money at record rates.
We just print more and more money with nothing to back it except the “good faith and credit” of the United States.
etc….
and the best thing our major political parties can do is follow around each others major candidates and try to catch them doing or saying things they shouldn’t say.
Is this REALLY doing us any good?
Why did the Republican party track Angus King then?
Two wrongs don’t make it right.
If both parties continue down this road we will never ever get out of the pickle we are in.
Perhaps the BDN should focus on truth instead of constantly trying to criticize Republicans. This is not an election year for LePage. Call off the tracker. Can you imagine if Obama had a tracker, one that could attend his secret meetings with Rachel Maddow and Al Sharpton and the people from the HUFPO, you know the meeting he had the other day to discuss the “fiscal cliff” and how they should spin it. That would be great. Your constant badgering of LePage is really getting annoying. Thank you BDN for keeping this is the news. The bias of the Democrats is in full display.
You think Obama DOESN’T have a tracker? He has several, I’m sure.
Trackers cannot attend “secret meetings”, they can only attend events where the public is allowed.
The paranoia of Republicans is in full display!
Maybe the tracker knows what really happened in Bengazi or how those Syrian terrorist rebels got WMD from Libyan rebels as furnished by the CIA.
Do keep us posted on what your imaginary tracker tells you about the secret deals made by the Obama White House.
Do you suppose the tracker also knows where the WMD are in Iraq?
I know you will go to great lengths to defend Tea Party Paulie, but don’t you think half way around the world is a bit extreme?
So much derp…
Yup, to your last sentence and to the rest of your comment.
How would a tracker get into those secret meetings without being invited? Did you think that through?
Why didn’t you beg for the tracker to be called off of Angus King then???!
If LePage wants to criticize his tracker, he should have also criticized the ones following Angus King and Libby Mitchell around. Unless it’s only bad when the other side does it…..
If these supposed meetings with Sharpton and Maddow were secret how is it that you know about them? While on the subject of truth why is it I haven’t read any comments from you demanding truth from LePage? Goodness knows he has been caught in plenty of them. Or are you only concerned about what you call the “truth” when it comes to what the Democrats do?
When LePage ran for governor he vowed to have government transparency. The Dems are just helping make him a man of his words.
You know, I’m a Democrat, and I don’t like Lepage much, but just because the Democratic Party didn’t RELEASE any video of Lepage talking to a veteran doesn’t mean he wasn’t filmed doing so. I’ve gotta say, I think the idea of getting a “tracker” to follow Lepage around is pretty ridiculous and juvenile. If it was the other way around, the Democrats would have sicced the ACLU on the Republicans by now and called it a breach of privacy rights. Can’t we do better than this? Stop pestering him and do some actual work if you want to make sure a Democrat gets elected governor in 2014.
I agree Matt, though don’t be surprised if you get thrown under the bus by your peers for saying so.
Anyone can attend public meetings and anyone can film them. The tracker actually has to follow certain rules which is more than someone with a smart-phone has to do.
Since the governor represents all Maine citizens, not just the 39% who voted for him, we have the right to know what he says and what he does – good, bad or indifferent. If he would stop saying and doing so many foolish things, the tracker wouldn’t be important.
It’s not the accurate tracking but the editing out of context which is onerous and malevolent…as well as having the ethics of paparazzi.
Proof?
Excellent point. I’ve avoided seeing Mr LePage in public, but I think it would be fun for a number of people to attend the next public event with their smart phones held in the air to record his statement. Like a flashmob.
Well, there is no evidence of him talking with the veteran. Next, the Repubs hire trackers too all the time at least in their campaigns like the ones that tracked King and Mitchell. Next, while I am no fan of using trackers on EITHER side, Governor GoofBall shouldn’t care what is recorded in PUBLIC events. They can not attend private events. They have to follow other rules. As a public official, he is expected to be scrutinized at public events. And, most of all, no matter how he feels about the tracker, surely you do not condone him refusing to do his job by failing to meet with lawmakers who have NOTHING to do with hiring trackers and also for SHAMEFULLY raising the issue at the swearing-in ceremony. This is supposed to be the big tough TeaPublican Man LePage, and he is acting like a thin-skinned baby and whiner. That is what is most pathetic of all.
Well the actually the ACLU would be on the tackers side I feel, They are only doing this in public events.
Did anyone at the event see the tracker filming the conversation besides Mr LePage? Why would the photographer choose this moment to disregard a rule when he has been asked to leave several times and has agreed to do so?
Gov. Le Page speaks again with forked tongue. His “Open For Business” sign at the border in Kittery was made in Alabama. When this was pointed out, it mysteriously “disappeared” to be replaced by one made in Maine. In fact, this sign could have been made by about 20 various sign shops in the state, but his people had it done by a good old right to work state, which is what he’d love to have here. As for his dislike of the tracker, Le Page does not get it yet, and probably never will, that this state is not his private dollar store to run as he pleases.
You do understand that the state is required to use a competitive bid process.
JD the State did not buy the first sign. It was presented to LePage by his supporters as a gift.
Then I guess it doesn’t matter where the sign came from if the state didn’t purchase it then.
I actually donated towards its purchase.
Doesn’t that make it a sign of welfare? Sounds like an entitlement to me! Why didn’t that sign go out and get a job and pay for itself?! Darn Communists!
apples and aardvarks!
If the sign in question was purchased by a private individual using private funds the person could have the sign made on Mars by little green men. It’s their choice.
Of course its their choice.. what you’re missing is the IRONY that any sign touting Maine Business would be made outside the state.. whether it was privately funded or government. Its not a question of legality, its a question of what’s RIGHT.. something the “Right” never seems to get. At least the darn sign wasn’t made in China.. but it certainly would have been funnier if it was.
The IRONY is people are arguing over a sign and a mural rather than the REAL issues facing this state. This state is in bad shape and only getting worse.
Both parties are responsible for it. The parties seem to be more interested in blaming each other instead of working together to SOLVE problems.
One of President Lincoln’s greatest moves was to fill his cabinet with people that felt and believed differently from him. They HAD to work together to get the job done. Today…we do just the opposite. We fill cabinet positions with “like thinkers and yes men/women” and nothing gets done.
Unbelievable. LePage is pretty two faced, or hypocritical. It is okay to employ some out of state place for that sign, yet he takes every opportunity to downgrade someone coming here from out of state for other reasons.
And…why was it okay for the Republicans to have a tracker for Angus King. What is good for the goose,etc…..
And…it also appears that maybe these trackers are somewhat beneficial, in that they pick up some untruths, exaggerations,etc. Seems LePage told another one concerning “a meeting with a veteran.”
I don’t think the governor is two faced.
If he was, he sure wouldn’t be wearing that one.
He didn’t make the sign. The state didn’t make the sign. His supporters made the sign, and paid for it as a gift after he was elected. Same thing when it was stolen, and replaced. NO state money was used either time.
Only for items over a certain amount. A Maine shop could have hammered it out for less than the one he imported.
Two more years and Elliot Cutler will have it removed, when he restores the Working In Maine history mural.
That’s correct and there is more than one sign too.
I would welcome Mr. Cutler as Governor. I voted for him two years ago and would so so again.
Not sure if he would restore the mural or not. I am not sure if he has taken a public position on that topic.
I hope Mr . Cutler runs again as well.
So the most important thing in the somewhat limited mind of Tea Party Paulie is a tracker hired by the Maine Democrats. According to Paulie it is a case of the Three Vees, vulgar, vicious and vile. It seems the Dems have hired someone to attend Public (note the word PUBLIC) meetings at which LePage appears and to take video of the big guy in action. From all reports the tracker, before attending an event, has to secure permission from the event’s organizer. That’s called getting prior permission. While attending the event the tracker is only allowed to take video. He can not participate nor say or do anything disruptive. According to Paulie this is what he terms vulgar, vile and vicious. Let’s contrast that to an earlier event that involved the video taping of two individuals without their knowledge or prior consent from anyone. That would be when “Criminal” James O’Keefe sent an “actor” secretly, note the word SECRETLY, into a DHHS office and while pretending to get information on obtaining benefits taped two employees. When that tape was made public Tea Party Paulie couldn’t get to a camera fast enough to publicly thank “Criminal” O’Keefe. So in one case Paulie goes on TV and thanks the outfit doing the taping even though it was not done in a public place, the people taped were not public figures and no one except “Criminal” O’Keefe and his “actor” had prior knowledge. In the other case where it is done openly, with prior permission with no false pretenses it is VULGAR, VICIOUS and VILE. Could this be a case of double standards? Isn’t what is good for the goose good for the gander or perhaps in this case good for the duck. An extremely lame duck at that.
I seem to remember the cries of outrage when a DHHS intake was filmed and revealed a social worker prompting illegal eligibility. You people dared to term it an invasion of privacy.
The governor is a politician and they lie, mislead, manipulate, and are evasive….and there is no more evasive politician in Augusta than Jason Alfond.
What’s fair for Lepage should be the same for Alfond, Cain and others. Your lust for digging dirt is disgusting!
The worker did not prompt for illegal eligibility. The worker answered questions and did a good job. Did you watch the Fox news edit?
Oh boy. Where to start? First off I am not “you people” I speak only for myself and what I post are my thoughts and not someone elses talking points so let’s be clear on that. Secondly I wasn’t exactly outraged when “Criminal” O’Keefe and his not ready for prime time actor secretly taped two DHHS workers without anyone’s knowledge or permission in the work place. If someone came into my company’s offices and secretly taped one or more of our employees without permission my first call would be to the police followed very quickly by a call to our lawyers, but even then I doubt I would be outraged. There is a big difference between entering the workplace secretly and taping and taping a public official in a public setting after obtaining permission to do so. I am happy to see you acknowledge that LePage is a liar, will mislead, is evasive and manipulative. Perhaps you feel that those things are ok. I consider lying an act of dishonesty and wouldn’t want a liar for a friend and most certainly would not keep someone on my payroll who I knew was a liar. As far as Alfond is concerned I don’t know him and I have no opinion of him. But in my opinion if someone wants to pay a tracker to tape him at public events with permission I have no objection to that. As far as your last accusation about me having a lust for digging dirt I had nothing to do with the taping and most certainly didn’t author any of the articles that have reported on it. Apparently your problem stems from my voicing my opinion about Paul Richard LePage and believe me in order to find a reason to have a negative opinion of LePage doesn’t take any digging at all. He provides them almost on a daily basis.
“You people”. That sounds like Ann Romney!!
At least he is good at alliteration !
So was Spiro Agnew …
That incident with O’Keefe was unreal. Funny how LePage did not think that was at all vulgar, viceous and vile! As long as it is aimed at someone LePage does not like? What a nice guy!!!!
When you have been bagged in so many lies and have an uncontrollable urge to say dim things in public, the “tracker”s” camera could tend to be a little too candid for you. Yes, I can see the governor’s point. Perhaps it would be better if we didn’t report or record anything the governor has to say until his term is up. John Stewart and Stephen Cobert will be disappointed, but it might be a nice change of pace for the rest of us.
Why is Paulytics so afraid of being filmed…maybe, it is because he realizes that every time he speaks, the public sees his nose…symbolically, growing longer than Pinocchios!
snooping and stalking seem to be a Democrat’s trademark….Maybe Cornell du Houx was only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to malicious invasions of privacy? Maybe teams of trackers should follow the new leadership? and add in the appointed officials?
Only the media who delights and profits from secrets thrown ‘over the transom would support this invasion of privacy. And the biased editors, esp. photographs, would snip and cut and edit photos and words so the candidate they don’t want to win will be shown in the worse possible light.
I feel that the sins of omission are often worse than those of commission.
Oh right…it was the Democrats who were tracking Angus King! Think again. You only get upset about this when it is done by one party? How hypocritical of you.
Invasion of privacy? What part of “Public Event” don’t you get? The good thing is no one has to edit or snip a clip of the governor to make him look like the bloviating hack for ALEC he is.
Before speaking, you should have done some research into what stalking and invasion of privacy are.
Filming at a public event doesn’t come within a million miles of violating either law.
Ryan, not to be argumentative, but the conitation of “tracking” seems to include far more than simple “filming” of public events.
The royal family of England, Jackie Kennedy, and even Steven King have complained about the methods some of these “trackers” use. Did you miss the story where Prince Harry was filmed nude in his hotel room?
Then you are missing the meaning of the word “tracking” as it is used in this context. Public. Public. Public. Anyone can attend. In the open. With Permission.
Really, if Mr LePage is that concerned, he has choices:
1) Only tell the truth in public.
2) Deny admission to the tracker.
or go back to the place the Republican party had him hidden during the campaign season.
The point here is not that he doesn’t want to be filmed. It’s another puff of smoke to distract people from the fact that he refused to meet with Legislative leadership. LePage made his bed during the last two years and consequently lost control of the house. Now he has to work with people he dislikes and that makes him cranky.
Obviously this discussion is very personal to you. Not so much to me.
I think “tracking” a person is creepy but then I suppose you do not hunt.
Angus King and Libby Mitchell were followed around by the GOP, so it’s not just Democrats who do it.
and John Martin, John Baldacci, John McCain, Barak Obama, George Bush, Al Gore, Bob Dole, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Ross Perot, and Mike Dukakis.to name just a few.
I agree that this type of behavior is reprehensible, and I also do not know what the difference between “tracking” and “stalking ” entails, but it is a very non-partisan act.
Nixon had his Watergate and telephone taps. Nixon was a republican.
Liberals should be worried about helping the governor solve our states financial issues rather than fishing for a gotcha moment.
Funny how this can be spun both ways?
It’s hard for the Democrats to help LePage solve the state’s financial problems when he find any excuse not to meet with them!!
A quick question for LePage: If you didn’t want to be a public figure, why did you run for public office? It’s time to put on your big boy pants and stop with the temper tantrums.
I have wondered that myself and so have many others. Don’t go into public office if you think you can control everything and have everything just the way you want it. Even a governor does not get to call all the shots. Maybe he should have remained at Mardens. Perhaps less conflict for him there.
Who’s Truth, you mean like Obama Admin and what really happened to our Ambassador, and yet they still want Rice as Secretary of State? yea right.
Why must you continue to beat that dead horse?
Terrorists killed the ambassador. not Susan Rice.
The CIA issued a report to this effect. But many more changes were made before Susan Rice was given the report they had prepared – not Susan Rice.
Consequently, Susan Rice, US Ambassador to the United Nations was given a redacted report which she read at the insistence of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who excused herself from the task because she was exhausted.
As UN Ambassador, Susan Rice has absolutely no control of what happens in our embassies including providing security for them.
The teapublicans, believing that Susan Rice would be nominated as next Secretary of State saw an opportunity to get former Senator Scott Brown back into office. So they blackballed Susan Rice as not being fit to hold the Clinton office, and Collins, McCain and Lindsey, pushed for John Kerry.
As of yet, although Susan Rice is considered to be the president’s choice for the Clinton chair, she has not been nominated.
Republicans are on record as quashing attempts to improve security at our embassies in the Middle East.
I have no problem with trackers – for either party.
I am an American voter. They are our representatives. When they are in public, the more we know about what they say, the better to judge them.
It’d be OK with me if pols had multiple trackers.
And besides, an honest, forthright politician should have nothing to fear from trackers.
Which, of course is why so many DO fear them (there are no honest, forthright politicians).
Just my opinion.
I’m good with it, too. Any politician who speaks in public should expect it to be filmed.
Nice to see the Party has the time and money to put into this, tho. I’m sure they would welcome the spotlight if the roles were reversed, and Charlie Webster hired a tracker.
Yes, the Republican party invested in having Angus King tracked. Strange….
If the Governor is so upset with the Democrat “tracker”, perhaps he could meet with Democrat leaders and offer to stop the use of trackers by Republicans in Maine if the Democrats would agree to stop using them. Then perhaps he and the rest of the politicians in Augusta could get down to doing the state’s business.
Your boss is allowed to track you while you are at work and the people of Maine have just as much right to track the Governor.
Lepage needs to visit the Wizard of Oz and ask for a brain, a heart and some courage.
While he’s at it he can tap his ruby slippers together and fly back to New Brunswick.
What a boor.
Over the last two years, not once have I read or heard this man – who masquerades as governor – utter one single pleasantry.
I’d like to know how much this tracker is costing us taxpayers!