Wow, I guess I asked for it. In the eyes of Sam Stone, communications director for U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva’s challenger, Ruth McClung, I am a blogger and therefore only worthy of getting comments via e-mail. I called Stone to discuss issues he had with our last few posts regarding McClung backing out of a League of Women Voters’ debate scheduled for Oct. 18.
I also called about an audio file released today by Grijalva’s campaign of a voicemail message left by a McClung campaign worker on Oct. 13 regarding changing the time of the debate from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Stone was just about to explain that Grijalva’s campaign team had been unreasonable working with the McClung campaign because of the town hall she had scheduled at the Mission Library that same evening, when he stopped talking and said, “It’s simply my policy … because you’ve demonstrated that you are a blogger and not a journalist, like the Tucson Citizen … We only give comments in writing to bloggers.”
Like any good blogger, I e-mailed Stone the audio file and asked for a comment, and this is his e-mailed reply:
“This phone call was from October 13th, five days before a Town Hall which had been scheduled weeks in advance and for which the Grijalva campaign was notified of our schedule. We attempted to make the debate work, but subsequent to this call another 24 hours passed before we were offered a compromise on the time of the debate. At that point, we decided that we were not willing to cancel our Town Hall on such short notice. Our supporters deserved respect for the work they put in in organizing and promoting our Town Hall which drew over 100 people to the Mission Library. There are serious issues in this campaign, and the fact that the Grijalva camp continues to harp on what is clearly a minor issue shows just how poorly he is fairing in this race.”
You can listen to the audio file right here for yourself, or read the transcript after the jump.
McClung Campaign Confirming Oct 18 Debate by danielgibsonaz
“Hi, Pat, This is Christina Cruz with the Ruth McClung campaign. I just wanted to give you a little update to where we’re at. We’re trying to contact the League of Women Voters. That hasn’t happened yet, but I’m sure that’ll happen some time today. Anyway, we’re good for the 18th. The only thing we’re requesting is that the debate start a little bit later than six, five thirty. Six thirty would work for us. We feel very strongly that we need to make sure it’s accessible for folks who might be missing this one because they have work or other obligations. As soon as we get that ironed out, then I think we’ll be good to go. I wouldn’t see that as being a problem. Let’s be reasonable. If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call back. My number is XXX. Thanks so much.”
This article appears in Oct 21-27, 2010.
Wow, Mari, who really cares? This is pretty lame reporting, even for a blogger.
Americans for Tax Reform is the group that is spending $230K on a misleading Television ad attacking Grijalva. Maybe Stone could email us and let us know if Ruth McClung knew the C3 arm of this outfit, run by Grover Norquist, old buddy of Jack Abramoff, is accused, by the 2006 Senate Finance Committee of “perpetrating a fraud” on taxpayers?
See more on Norquiest and ATR at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte…
WOW, even bloggers twist what people say….I thought that was only a politician’s job…That or his/her staff.
If you read the email, Christina Cruz does state that they are good for the 18th but had a request to move back the time to accommodate people working late. She later says that once this “TIME” gets ironed out, she thought that they would be good to go.
Her staff had a request. Was that request granted…Not sure…You left it hanging to show that Ruth McClung’s staff had committed then backed out. Let’s be honest in the reporting here…or blogging I should say…
BTW….I am an independent voter with no interest in either party so not defending McClung. Just want fair & impartial info given
You know, Mari, I’d have to agree with the assessment that you’re a ‘blogger’ and not a ‘real journalist’. You don’t seem to like to present all the facts, and you like nothing more than to give your opinion. In my opinion (as an amateur blogger myself) leading with such heavy bias excludes you from the list of respectable ‘real journalists’ out there. If you don’t like it, start REPORTING instead of OPINING and see if that changes anything for you.
Yes Devils Advocate, apparently Grijalva’s camp did agree to move the time and they still backed out. I agree its not that big of a deal, timing conflicts happen. I do find it ironic that her camp made a publicity stunt out of pressing for a debate and then they are the ones that didn’t show, but I guess as long as they got the press for ‘demanding’ a debate thats all that matters…
Umm, Devil’s Advocate, you missed the point of the article and what is NOT in the voicemail…. there is no mention at all of the town hall as being the reason for the requested change:
“We feel very strongly that we need to make sure it’s accessible for folks who might be missing this one because they have work or other obligations”
Clearly, McClung’s camp is out-and-out lying about the reason for backing out of the debate. And worried that people couldn’t get there are BS, no one had problems getting to the first debate, the doors opened around 5PM and the place was packed well before 5:30.
Face it Ruth McClung and her entire campaign along with the “independents” (read dumbest asses on the planet) who claim to support her are idiots. She doesn’t know what district she is even running in, her campaign continuously makes robo calls and other calls outside her district begging for votes and if you call back and tell them to stop calling outside the district they are surly and rude – which seems par for the course reading comments by “CultofKelly” “Gaffi” and “Devilsadvocate” here.
I just can’t believe that Stone would say that “you are a blogger and not a journalist” and apparently therefore somehow unworthy of a phone conversation. To me that shows the kind of people that McClung has working for her. You write blogs AND articles for the Tucson Weekly which is a weekly newspaper. How are you not deserving of a phone conversation?
It is sad that Sam Stone is an arrogant ass who feels it is appropriate to insult a journalist working on a story by calling her a mere, “blogger.” It just shows he isn’t ready to run with the big dogs. If he can’t handle a journalist asking him to clarify information that has been circulating, then they are baby politicians and not quite ready for the big dance that is the U.S. Congress. Maybe McClung needs to sit out the race until she can find competent people to run her campaign. Don’t blame a journalist for doing their job.