Team Ciresi Sends Misleading Message to Supporters
Thursday, November 08, 2007 at 7:30 am
- 4 Comments
Cue Insider Baseball music on this one.
After the bevy of Senate polls early this week, Mike Ciresi’s campaign sent out an email update to its list of supporters that contained some misleading, if not downright untrue, information, to the detriment of Ciresi’s campaign and reputation.
Now cue gasps that a left-leaning blogger is criticizing the Ciresi campaign.A few days ago I wrote:
[A]mong Democrats, 43% are confident that Franken can beat Coleman, while a respectable 40% are confident in Ciresi, but Republican respondents leaned toward believing that Ciresi could beat Coleman.
That bit was worded very specifically to match the question that was asked, something along the lines of: “Which DFL Senate candidate is most likely to beat Norm Coleman — Al Franken or Mike Ciresi?”
The Ciresi campaign’s email contained a note about the same numbers, but here’s what they wrote:
The poll also had a specific question on the Senate race, “Which DFL Senate candidate is most likely to beat Norm Coleman — Al Franken or Mike Ciresi?” 37% of those polled wanted Mike as their candidate, while 30% percent wanted Al.
Notice the difference between the question asked and the assertion being made by Team Ciresi. The cross-tabs on that question indicated that a high percentage of Republicans polled believe that Ciresi is more likely to beat Coleman, and this contributed to the final number of 37% for Ciresi.
But that 37% does not “want Mike as their candidate.” This assertion is misleading at best, and stretches the bounds of honesty in political campaigning.
Now, for an introspective side note: There are several reasons I did not want to write this piece. First, in all likelihood there will be at least a moment of desire on the part of certain elements in the Republican blog/opposition research machine to point to this piece as evidence of DFL infighting, or a rift between liberal blogs and DFL candidates.
Another issue is access. As a purported member of the media, I have to depend on access to campaigns and organizations in order to have a story to write (although my colleague Eric Black has just about perfected the art of Effective Column Through Open Letter). This is the kind of allegation that I’m sure won’t make Team Ciresi happy, and very well make them less likely to want to talk to me in the future.
So which is more important? Making friends and having unfettered access, with knowledge that campaigns are going to want to have their story pushed clearly and effectively, or factual analysis and truth?
I have to come down on the side of truth. It’s no secret that most bloggers, especially those who cover campaigns closely, have political preferences; I make no secret of mine. But in this instance, my interests as a reporter and as a politically active individual are aligned: I want a clean fight between candidates and campaigns that don’t have to mislead voters or activists or supporters in order to succeed.
So, an unceremonious and rhetorical slap to Team Ciresi’s wrist, and here’s to hoping they do better in the future. Seriously.
4 Comments
Comment posted November 8, 2007 @ 10:11 pm
Seeking an ENDORSEMENT; not seeking a fight You “want a clean” ‘FIGHT BETWEEN’ “candidates and campaigns that don’t have to mislead voters or activists or supporters in order to succeed.”
It seems to me that the polls would indicate activist and candidate Jim Cohen does not have the higher percentages that Ciresi, Franken, and Coleman do, however the candidate and his campaign staff and volunteers are deserving of respect.
You might think and feel that your judgment about the “alignment” was correct, and that the stars were aligned, and that your ducks were in a row [even citing Eric Black (Eric Black Ink)].
I think that the standards for today’s newest blog MinnPost.com, and Minnesota Monitor, are striving to be higher.
Perhaps the blog of which you are probably the most familiar [MCR] would be a more appropriate place for the “alignment.”
In the fall of 2007 I have read a couple of Franken’s quotes in the print media:
-1. “I don’t do a lot of watching what I say, frankly.”
-2. “I’ve got this in the bag. I’m pretty sure we could quit now and win.”
It could also be difficult to have journalistic access to someone who is “pretty sure we could quit now” and that “he’s got this in the bag.”
At this point Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken, and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer are seeking the ENDORSEMENT from the State Democratic Party.
Comment posted November 10, 2007 @ 1:13 pm
Not sure what you’re getting at here but point by point:
1. Of course Cohen and his staff are deserving of respect. I never said otherwise.
2. I wouldn’t call MinnPost.com a blog, per se.
3. If you’ve ever been on the floor of a state convention during a competitive endorsement fight, you already know that it is a knock-down, bare-knuckled fight to the political death. No fists are thrown, but it is most certainly a fight.
Comment posted November 8, 2007 @ 4:11 pm
Seeking an ENDORSEMENT; not seeking a fight You “want a clean” 'FIGHT BETWEEN' “candidates and campaigns that don't have to mislead voters or activists or supporters in order to succeed.”
It seems to me that the polls would indicate activist and candidate Jim Cohen does not have the higher percentages that Ciresi, Franken, and Coleman do, however the candidate and his campaign staff and volunteers are deserving of respect.
You might think and feel that your judgment about the “alignment” was correct, and that the stars were aligned, and that your ducks were in a row [even citing Eric Black (Eric Black Ink)].
I think that the standards for today's newest blog MinnPost.com, and Minnesota Monitor, are striving to be higher.
Perhaps the blog of which you are probably the most familiar [MCR] would be a more appropriate place for the “alignment.”
In the fall of 2007 I have read a couple of Franken's quotes in the print media:
-1. “I don't do a lot of watching what I say, frankly.”
-2. “I've got this in the bag. I'm pretty sure we could quit now and win.”
It could also be difficult to have journalistic access to someone who is “pretty sure we could quit now” and that “he's got this in the bag.”
At this point Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, Al Franken, and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer are seeking the ENDORSEMENT from the State Democratic Party.
Comment posted November 10, 2007 @ 7:13 am
Not sure what you're getting at here but point by point:
1. Of course Cohen and his staff are deserving of respect. I never said otherwise.
2. I wouldn't call MinnPost.com a blog, per se.
3. If you've ever been on the floor of a state convention during a competitive endorsement fight, you already know that it is a knock-down, bare-knuckled fight to the political death. No fists are thrown, but it is most certainly a fight.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
