Since I spent the day with 5 of the likely mayoral candidates 4 of the likely mayoral candidates and 1 announced candidate ok, ok... 3 likely mayoral candidates, 1 announced candidate and 1 guy who said he's running for mayor but hasn't announced his candidacy, I didn't get a chance to do much of an Election Day post-mortem.
It appears now, according to Blinq (by way of Philly Will Do) that the identity of the rabble rouser responsible for these videos and the video below is a Penn student and wannabe documentary maker named Stephen Morse. Apparently, Mr. Morse is working on some kind of school project about Philadelphia politics. Suggested titles: Nightmare on Market Street; National Lampoon's Election Day; Awesome, I F'ing Videotaped That Guy While He Was Voting, and Invincible II: Philadelphia's Democratic Machine.
Blinq also pointed out that Mr. Morse's video became fodder for the conservative blogosphere and was included in a story by the New York Times. I can't end this post without pointing out my favorite quote from that Times story:
...many of the biggest names in political blogging ... had been corralled by a member of the mainstream news media, CNN, at Tryst, a trendy Washington coffeehouse, last night.
Constantine Stavropoulos, the owner of the cafe, said he had closed its doors for the “blog party,” which the network periodically broadcast and streamed online. He said he expected the bloggers — an attractive bunch, he said — to linger long after the votes were in.
“Bloggers look a lot better than I thought they would,” Mr. Stavropoulos said.
Click "Continue Reading" to see the video.
This hardly seems like the kind of voter intimidation that I've heard of in the past but it does reinforce the notion that this is a one party town when someone with GOP poll watcher credentials is denied entry to a polling place. I wonder, though, if he would have been denied if he hadn't brought with him, a VIDEO CAMERA, one of primary tools of voter intimidation, no matter what anyone says.
Comments (3)
That video just looks like college students being annoying. For some really interesting footage of alleged voter intimidation, watch Tigre Hill's "Shame of a City" documentary on the Street-Katz election in 2003.
Posted by Dave | November 9, 2006 11:31 AM
That's sort of how I felt about this. It seems pretty clear that the response they got was due to their attempts to do an election-themed episode of Jackass using poll watcher certificates as their legal shields. If they seriously wanted to sit quietly and watch the polls in that division, the response may not have been so virulent.
Posted by Dan | November 9, 2006 12:18 PM
I also wanted to post this email that we got to our yourvoice@whyy.org during our election night coverage on channel 12:
I implore all voters to join me in continuing their
civic duty by holding the new house and senate members
accountable and responsible for their campaign
platforms as well as the concerns of each and every
voter. I will be calling Bob Casey, Arlen Spector and
Chakka Fattah MONTHLY. I will be asking them to:
1. introduce a health care bill that provides basic
health care to all Americans
2. introduce a bill to have the US Gov't negotiate
fair and reasonable drug prices for (at minimum)
Medicare recipients-- I do not have health insurance
and had a GENERIC medication that I've taken for ten
years go up last month from $74.00 to $177.00. Before
I moved here, I paid $22.00 for the same medication in
Nebraska.
3. make education a priority-- better pay for better
teachers
4. make our seniors a priority-- my mother should not
have had to spend all of one day tallying her expenses
for Medicare prescription drug premiums plus the cost
of the medication, only to find out that she paid MORE
through the Medicare program than through her former
MediGap prescription drug coverage the prior year.
5. pull troops out of Iraq into bordering
countries--we've spent enough in troops and
treasure--put the average AMERICAN life first in all
things
6. stop the corruption, put strict restrictions on
lobbying, work together so each and every American
citizen has (a quality) life, (a real sense of)
liberty, and (a genuine chance at) the pursuit of
happiness.
Please join me. Please hold our congressmen and
senators responsible to their constituents.
We need to be active in continuing to demand change.
Sincerely,
Abbe Harms
Philadelphia PA
Posted by Dan | November 9, 2006 12:19 PM