ABC News should earn accolades for engaging in serious journalism in Denver: detailing how the party elite has been feted by an array of high-priced lobbyists at expensive parties. One of its reporters, however, was roughed up and arrested when he tried to take pictures of the democratic leaders and their donors. Producer Asa Eslocker was arrested outside the Brown Palace. In the meantime, Democratic leaders have said nothing in response to the complaints over the conspicuous consumption of lobbyist dollars at the convention.
Eslocker was arrested outside the Brown Palace while documenting a private breakfast held by a Democratic Party campaign committee, a meeting between Democratic senators and their donors.
For a video of the arrest, click here.
For additional stories, click here.
The array of lavish lobbyist parties once again shows how little commitment there is for serious ethics reforms in Congress. It would have been an easy thing for Democratic leaders to tell lobbyists that such parties were not welcomed and to ask members not to attend the parties. However, they know that voters will again forgive their little excesses in the red state-blue state fixation of American politics. Even with ABC’s effort, there has not been even a whimper of regret from the DNC or leadership over the issue.
Rick
1, August 28, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Why is anyone surprised this happened. The Democrat party has always held the ends justifies the means attitude.
Partisan statements like that Rick conceal the real issue.
Or are you ignorant of the literal cornucopia of arrests made of liberals and democrats at republican rallys, like the little old lady John McCains people had removed and arrested simply for carrying a sign saying “McCain=Bush”?
This is not a “Democrat” problem. It is not a republican problem. It is a GOVERNMENT problem.
I see this as an opportunity for Barack Obama to show real leadership.
While he was not involved directly, the convention after all is his, so to speak. And Joe Bidens. They are after all the ones running for President.
I think Obama making a few phone calls, and publiclly chastising those who made or instigated the arrest, would be a wise move.
This arrest REEKS of corruption. The same type of corruption we have lived under for the last 7 and a half years.
A good way to demonstrate change, is to actually change something.
No doubt, ethics reform and the money trail in politics is a bi-partisan debacle. That being said – this story is manufactured. A photo-journalist, delightfully aggressive – receives numerous requests to not block the side-walk.
This article and the underlying article that inspired it are about separate incidents but by confluence are made into one story. Hogwash.
Hotel complained – numerous requests – arrested.
If ABC has a good story about Democrats stuffing their pockets with cocktail weenies and doing anything illegal, I’ll anxiously await the story – but to simply link this all together with nothing more than reports of photographers filming lobbyists through windows and no real report of who, what, why or when – all we have is innuendo and the ‘when’.
There is the intimation here that somehow the DNC caused the arrest of the ABC producer – I personally feel to assert that without any proof is irresponsible.
Jill,
You pose a good question, here’s my answer, but remember I’ve got no inside knowledge and if I were he I would have said something. The way I see it Obama’s problem all along has been: How does an African American man, with a funny (to America) name, run for President, without being marginalized as a “Militant” (i.e. Crazy Black Man) by a MSM controlled by a corporatocracy of older white males? There is also a punditocracy characterized by types like David Broder, Tom Friedman, David Brooks, Maureen Dowd, Charles Krauthammer, Robert Novak,et. al., who feel themselves an intellectual elite of opinion makers, The Washington “Village,” and work hand in glove to maintain the status quo for the corporatocracy/Military Industrial Complex, that pays them
The answer is to run as a moderate, urge bipartisanship, tone down one’s rhetoric, and appeal to the electorate via symbols of hope.
In Obama’s case it was to out organize everyone else and forge a smart and disciplined campaign staff. His and his cohorts actions are constantly taken out of context by the MSM and morphed into other meanings. i.e. the “bitter” remark, Michelle’s “proud of America” comment, Reverend Wright and scores of others. That he has weathered this campaign of lies and distortions is remarkable. I have seen the true context of those three examples, as anyone who can google can, and the distortions were dishonest, vicious and totally unfair. So yes he is ignoring this and not commenting on the “fat cats” in the interests of his campaign and to the dissatisfaction and distrust of people like you and me.
How then can I be so supportive of him you might well ask and that would be a totally valid and fair question. My answer is this, with the same caveats, that I recognize that I could be deluded:
1. I think that a McCain victory this time will bring total fascism to this country and destroy our fraying Constitution.
2. A McCain victory will destroy women’s rights to equality and I’m a father of daughters and have a new female grandchild.
3. A McCain victory this time will set back the rights of people of color and/or destroy them.
4. Being Magna Cum Laude and Editor of the Harvard law Review would have guaranteed Obama riches and he chose to be a community organizer, of the Saul Alinsky school and used that to become a respected and effective State Senator and US Senator. To me that indicates a sense of purpose to do good in the world.
5. His Columbia and Harvard experiences convince me that this is a very, very intelligent man. It would be nice to have an intelligent President again. John McCain was 894 out of 899 at Annapolis and his father was a Two Star Admiral.
6. He knows how to build and run an effective organization as shown by his winning campaign.
7. His communications skills are superb and can be used effectively, once President, to use the “Bully Pulpit” to get good things done.
8. Cynic that I am, having worked in a career that showed me the worst ways of the world and having experienced tragedy in my personal life, I do believe that this really is a genuine family man, with a brilliant wife (showing that he cherishes strong women).
No man who runs for President lack egotism, yet some of them use that egotism in service of their fellow humans, I think that he is such a man.
Having stated all that Jill, I’ve had my heart broken before, but I’m hoping that this time it won’t be.
Mike
Why is anyone surprised this happened. The Democrat party has always held the ends justifies the means attitude. That it is ok if they violate the constitution for they have a moral right to get their agenda across. Look at the convention itself. The voters did not choose their candidate. The final decision was made by party elites who have nullified the votes of the people and made the decision as to who is going to be the party’s representative in the general election. If they were the party of middle class America then why even have super delegates?
Jill,
Both aliens are unmasked. One of them says “What are you going to do? You have to vote for one of us.” and someone in the crowd says “Well we could vote for a third party candidate” and the other alien says “Go ahead, Throw your vote away.”
No, and I love those aliens! I will see if I can find it to watch!
Jill,
Have you ever seen the Simpsons Episode where the two aliens take Bob Dole’s and President Clinton’s place in the election?
Gyges,
I understand where you’re coming from, I don’t know of any current Republican that I’d vote for, but I’m open to it. When I first started voting New York’s Senior Senator was Jacob Javitz, who was a liberal Republican. I might’ve voted for him but he supported the viet Nam War. Currently, there is Spector and Chuck Hagel who are somewhat reasonable, but each has fatal flaws. I would like to see a resurgence in Republicans of conscience because it would be good for my causes and I believe good for the country, I just can’t see it happening without a major upheaval in their way of thinking.
Actually, I think the emergence of a viable third, or even fourth, party would be a very good thing. The system isn’t set up that way yet and the various minor parties have not shown any organizational genius.
Mike,
Why can’t Obama come out stongly against what was done to this reporter? The fact that he remains silent about this (I don’t know if you had a chance to see the video but it’s really scary), is just one more thing that tells me he doesn’t give a crap about our Constitution.
He’s riding high on influence right now. Why doesn’t he use it to protect our rights? He could say something, he should say something. He is siding against the Constitution each and every time he has a choice to make. Why is he allowed to do this and still expect our support?
Mike,
I don’t vote Democratic or Republican, I vote for the candidate. I think if more people thought this way, rather than the team loyalty mentality that the two parties try and cultivate, there would be a little less corruption.
I vote Democratic because they are the better alternative, but I have little doubt that they suffer from many of the same ills as the Republicans. The fight to establish fairness in America doesn’t begin with the Constitution and it doesn’t end when Bush is gone and McCain is defeated. That fight though, may well be lost, if McCain gains office.
I’m just waiting for Nancy Pelosi to come out and try to say that nothing’s wrong with this picture. Move along… move along…
Gino,
I agree with you that govt. has many times suppressed speech. There is a degree of difference with cheneybush in both the amount of suppression and the draconian methods used in that suppression. As noted in other stories private companies also suppress speech. So it is important to resist the muzzling of free speech whenever and wherever it occurrs.
Muzzling the press is how cheneybush work.
Jill, muzzling speech is how government works.
Where is the “leadership” in standing up for a free press? This is police state tactics. Standing on a sidewalk with a camera is not a crime. It is clear from the video that the officer did push the reporter into traffic and did put his hands around his neck. What the hell is that about?
I want Mr. Obama to stand up immediately and say these tactics are not part of a free America. Muzzling the press is how cheneybush work. It’s not just McCain running for that thrid term of the imperial presidency.
I watched some of the convention and it seems Orwellian. It is completely phony and uses all sort of psychological manipulation to cloud the mind and spirit of those watching. It reminds me a great deal of the Olympics.
Yes it would have been a small thing to refuse these types of lobbiest parties.
Another option would be offering complete transparency about them should they choose to go forward with “lobbiest love”.
Today on the 40th aniversery of Martin Luther King Jr.’s beautiful speech, we have a man claiming to represent the mantle of civil rights for all. Talk is cheap and well funded. Action would show a real committment to change. Action would be at minimum: 1. complete transparency in relation to lobbiests and 2. most importantly a complete rejection of repression of the press and civil rights.
this isn’t really newsworthy
I am (not) surprised there isn’t a single politician that was SO outspoken about FISA and invasion of privacy, American’s rights, et al now (not) coming to ABC’s rescue……
Not even Russ Feingold came to the rescue of ABC..
This is a very disappointing development, but it is of course predictable. Whenever I hear a politician from either side of the aisle say “I’ll stop the special interests, and I won’t be a slave to the lobbyists,” I roll my eyes and think “yeah, right.”