From the Republican Journal:
We don’t know which is more idiotic: U.S. Senator Susan Collins, one of the most powerful people in the nation whining that she feels intimidated by a little camera man from the Tom Allen campaign following her around, or The Bangor Daily News backing her up.
University of Maine Political Science Professor Amy Fried said it best in her letter to the editor of The Bangor Daily Saturday:
“Filming should demonstrate respect for personal space and time, but I find it baffling that a newspaper, protected under the Constitution because of its critical role in informing citizens would object to a campaign filming a public official in public and claim that it ‘does not reflect Maine values.’”
Well said indeed.
It has been well-publicized that the Maine Democrats have hired a videographer to attend public events involving Susan Collins and record what she says. Our own Stockton Springs Sesquicentennial Parade made state news because Allen’s man was catching Collins on tape there.
In a carefully thought-out bit of political showmanship, Collins publicly took Allen to task for this practice, making it appear that he had paparazzi tailing her and that there was something shady about this practice.
This comes from someone who supported the Patriot Act with the attitude, “If you’re not doing anything wrong, it shouldn’t bother you.”
What’s wrong with holding a U.S. Senator on the campaign trail accountable for what she says? We believe this falls firmly under the rights giving us a public government and freedom of the press.
What’s next? Will Collins next ask the press to leave her alone at public functions such as parades?
It was all a silly, manufactured controversy -- a tactic that the Collins campaign has used to good effect. But at the end of the day, she and anyone who's defended her on this will get all the scorn and mocking they deserve.
On the web: Tom Allen for Senate
Update: This editorial also ran in the Capitol Weekly this morning, meaning it could very well be running throughout this entire newspaper chain.