I decided to write about this because I had a conversation with someone about this today.
Rudy Giuliani came to Springfield on Saturday. He brought snow with him, too. But that's not my gripe.
He came here to support Roy Blunt at a Friends of Roy Blunt fundraiser. Makes sense, right? After all, he's also running for President...but here's my beef.
People paid to see Rudy Giuliani. I get that...but Roy Blunt's office sent out a press release to all the media, inviting them to attend. We were told that we could even have a one-on-one interview with Rudy. But instead, when we got there, Roy Blunt told the media that the one-one-one was off...that Rudy would be taking a few questions from the audience...but not from the media. He told the media that Giuliani wouldn't answer any questions because he didn't want it to become controversial.
Excuse me, huh?
We got used.
First of all, that was my story on Saturday. Thanks for not speaking--now I get to use "podium sound". Awesome. Scripted, boring, podium sound.
Rudy Giuliani came to Springfield on Saturday. He brought snow with him, too. But that's not my gripe.
He came here to support Roy Blunt at a Friends of Roy Blunt fundraiser. Makes sense, right? After all, he's also running for President...but here's my beef.
People paid to see Rudy Giuliani. I get that...but Roy Blunt's office sent out a press release to all the media, inviting them to attend. We were told that we could even have a one-on-one interview with Rudy. But instead, when we got there, Roy Blunt told the media that the one-one-one was off...that Rudy would be taking a few questions from the audience...but not from the media. He told the media that Giuliani wouldn't answer any questions because he didn't want it to become controversial.
Excuse me, huh?
We got used.
First of all, that was my story on Saturday. Thanks for not speaking--now I get to use "podium sound". Awesome. Scripted, boring, podium sound.
Secondly, controversial? Is it really too much to ask the former New York mayor what the heck he's doing in little-old Springfield? When Blunt introduced Giuliani, he said that the presidential-hopeful understood the needs and desires of Republican voters...but I beg to differ. For the most part, Mr. Giuliani holds non-traditional Republican views on issues like abortion, gay rights and gun control. So would it be too controversial to ask the guy why he thinks he can connect with the majority of Southwest Missourians??????? Can I get an AMEN?
We did the story, but not without hesitation. We don't believe in doing stories unless they are for the greater good. We are not supposed to be one-sided, and frankly, we were set up to do a "Hey America's Mayor is in town for a visit and he's great" kind of story. I am disappointed.
That's my gripe--not on the man or the issues--just the fact that we (basically) got played.
6 comments:
That's pretty shady.
And, what would be too controversial to do an interview with Giuliani?
But we got to watch all the nice folks eat their $250 scrambled eggs, Michelle. Is there anything better at 8:30 a.m. on a Saturday?
I'm with you, though. I'll be looking at the next Blunt presser a little more skeptically.
-Amos
Yeah, they rushed him in and out of the Lincoln dinner later that night in Des Moines, too. We were there for 6 hours and the only shot we got of Guiliani was him at the podium. We got plenty of the other candidates.
I wonder what that's all about.
Giuliani is a fair weather patron of the U.S. What is his REAL accomplishments? He was the mayor of NY city at the worst time possible, right place...wrong time. Giuliani is an opportunist, I've been saying that for years, now people are "eyes open" to this guy. The fact that he uses the 9-11 issue is an atrocity.
Amen, sister.
So would it also be too controversial to ask Blunt how he could reconcile bringing a gay rights supporting Republican to Springfield to sweeten the scrambled eggs, when just after the Nov 6 election he gave a reassuring speech to the Heritage Foundation where he snarked about Pelosi's "San Francisco" constituiency and made other anti-gay references?
Interesting. I wrote the story in the Taney County Times with the help of my friend Larry Litle. He took the photos, grabbed some quotes and I wrote the intro and cleaned it up a little. oh yeah..Amen
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