The public can attend the town hall meetings of U.S. Reps. LouBarletta and Tom Marino and tell the congressmen what they think onthe great issues of the day on one condition:
Don't record them.
Barletta has banned anyone who is not a media member from usingvideo or audio recording devices at the meetings so attendees feelfreer to speak, said Shawn Kelly, Barletta's spokesman.
Some constituents anonymously have called Barletta's office toexpress worry their town hall comments will be recorded and thrustonto the Internet, Kelly said.
"They should be able to go to these meetings without worryingabout whether a video of them will (circulate) far and wide," Kellysaid. He declined to provide the names of constituents whocomplained about non-media cameras.
Barletta's staff posted a sign warning against recording devicesat a May 19 meeting with constituents in Berwick. The meeting wasnot a town hall.
Last week, Renita Fennick, Marino's press secretary, would notallow a man who would not identify himself to enter thecongressman's LaPlume Township town hall May 16 with a video camera.The man was allowed in without the camera.
"People can come in and speak. We're not preventing freedom ofspeech," she said. She declined to elaborate further on the ban.
"I don't really want to participate in the story," she said.
The bans appear to be reactions to the state Democratic Partysending someone to attend and record the town hall meetings ofBarletta, Marino and other congressmen. Mark Nicastre, a spokesmanfor the state Democrats, acknowledged the tactic and said videoclips are posted on its website.
"Lou Barletta and Tom Marino, understandably, do not want peopleto see their flimsy explanations for voting to end Medicare as weknow it or their constituents' angry reaction to their votes inWashington," Nicastre said. "We believe it's important for thepublic to hear and see. If Lou Barletta and Tom Marino are afraid ofbeing filmed explaining a bad vote, maybe they should rethink theway they vote."
Following politicians to record their public moves is alongstanding practice by all sides in political campaigns.Christopher Borick, Ph.D., a political science professor atMuhlenberg College, said he teaches use of the tactic in a class onconducting election campaigns.
Some congressmen have become infamous on YouTube and other Websites in recent years for public missteps. In 2006, Virginia'sformer U.S. Sen. George Allen used the word "macaca" - a racial slur- to describe a campaign volunteer of Indian descent who wasrecording his appearances for his opponent. The moment is widelybelieved to have undermined his re-election bid.
Last year, Barletta's predecessor, Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, reliedmore on telephone town hall meetings, arguing he wanted to avoidsetting himself up "for nuts to hit me with a camera" after commentshe made at other meetings spread on the Internet. Some of thosecomments, recorded by a Kanjorski critic, wound up in Barletta'scampaign television commercials. During their campaign, Barlettasharply criticized Kanjorski for failing to meet constituents atpublic town halls, something he has done regularly as congressman.
Barletta's two most recent town hall meetings followed his votein favor of a privatized version of Medicare proposed by HouseBudget Commitee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc. Polls show theproposal's key element - vouchers that allow senior citizens to shopfor private health care instead of government-based Medicare - ishighly unpopular among Americans.
Constituents angry at Barletta's vote let him know theirdispleasure, though Kelly downplayed the anger as largely the workof Democratic operatives.
Kelly insisted the ban is not meant to prevent Barletta fromlooking bad if he says something embarrassing or potentiallydamaging politically and it spreads on the Internet. He saidlegitimate news media will record the comments and publish or airthem anyway.
"It's not a public meeting," Kelly said. "It's a meeting held togive the congressman an opportunity to meet with the public and wewill set the ground rules ... I think this is something we are doingto help people out."
Nicastre said the party does not record the meetings tointimidate speakers.
"It allows more people to see what goes on there, thecongressman's explanations of his votes and some of his reactions,"he said. "The more people that are able to see this, I think it'sbetter for the democratic process in general ... I think it'shelpful to open up the debate and open up the conversation."
He pooh-poohed the idea that the cameras discourage anyone fromspeaking up and called it an excuse to avoid being recorded.
"I think if you look at some of the clips that we have posted sofar ... it doesn't seem like people are hesitant to comment,"Nicastre said.
He acknowledged embarrassing clips of the congressman could turnup in campaign commercials.
"We have posted the clips on YouTube. If there's somethingnotable, it's something we could consider using down the line,"Nicastre said. "But again, it's helpful to have the representative'sown words so he can be held accountable."
Borick said the ban and the Democrats' opposition to it are aboutcontrolling what gets on the Internet.
Barletta fears Democrats will edit recordings into "out ofcontext" Internet clips that make him look bad. Opponents areunencumbered by standards of fairness required of mainstreamnewspaper and broadcast news reporters, Borick said. The clips couldalso be used to raise money to oppose Barletta.
"I don't know if the public is any more concerned about speakingat a public meeting if some guy has an iPhone up vs. an expensivecamera from a TV station," Borick said. "I'm not sure that that'sgoing to have a big effect on someone standing up and giving astatement at a town hall meeting. But I do know ... from a publicrelations campaign (standpoint), you don't want to have a lot ofsound bites and comments and moments that might be taken out ofcontext."
bkrawczeniuk@timesshamrock.com
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