tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post7184597663026953861..comments2024-03-29T09:51:12.266-04:00Comments on Lehigh Valley Ramblings: Morning Call's Renshaw: Only Hershman Has a ClueBernie O'Harehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-40228221309965707752009-10-29T22:45:42.482-04:002009-10-29T22:45:42.482-04:00It is funny how you should relate or merely mentio...It is funny how you should relate or merely mention humbleness with St. Francis (of Assisi).<br /><br />He was known for humbleness, tranquility, and humility; but especially tranquility. Legend goes that his fraternal brothers and the condition that they lived in were very noisy. St. Francis would reflect inwardly and outwardly present humbleness and state of tranquility to all. <br /><br />Little did the brothers know that rage was consuming him. He wanted to bash the brothers' heads in. But he allowed his inner most strength to prevail.<br /><br />(I need to cite where I heard this story and back it up with facts. But this story is more of a common legend than anything else. I think it is remarkable that our weaknees, can sometimes be noted as our strength. Thank God he supressed his natural feelings and let his teachings prevail.)<br /><br />St. Francis (all of them), Pray for us!<br /><br />Peace, ~~AlexSanctifying Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11587567660211753210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-44073576607824180322009-10-29T11:01:43.650-04:002009-10-29T11:01:43.650-04:00bernie, i may not be humble, but my expectations f...bernie, i may not be humble, but my expectations for coverage in 05 were. nerl paints me here on your blog as a fool with only one message in my campaign. you have yourself linked to and supported several causes of mine in the last two years. rest assure if i called a press conference, i had something unique to say.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-77094645278494695302009-10-29T10:15:26.828-04:002009-10-29T10:15:26.828-04:00"my expectations were humble"
Right. Mi...<em>"my expectations were humble"</em><br /><br />Right. Michael, if you are humble, I'm St. Francis.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-18218271872572570252009-10-29T06:49:46.870-04:002009-10-29T06:49:46.870-04:00daryl, i have put up a new post at molovinsky o...daryl, i have put up a new post at molovinsky on allentown with open comments.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-64545676077255837572009-10-29T06:02:25.967-04:002009-10-29T06:02:25.967-04:00Daryl,
My work is done here. Have a good life,...Daryl,<br /><br /> My work is done here. Have a good life, all the best.<br /><br /><br /> Scott ArmstrongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-86099231639837190192009-10-29T05:22:35.497-04:002009-10-29T05:22:35.497-04:00mr. nerl, let me clarify, comments are now open a...mr. nerl, let me clarify, comments are now open at molovinsky on allentown.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-34730719324167325602009-10-29T05:07:08.806-04:002009-10-29T05:07:08.806-04:00you can make light of it, but when you attend even...you can make light of it, but when you attend events by a candidate which channel 69 covers, and you ignore, your suppressing. i actually receive more coverage now from my activism than i did from you as a candidate. my expectations were humble; all i expected was one fair article on my candidacy and the two presses conferences covered. why was pawlowski's puff piece news, while the real history wasn't?<br /><br /> although i'm a guest blogger at poliblog, the comments do not go through me, nor do i actually even know volvo mom. i will open up comments on my post about this, and look forward to receiving your comment.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-21285451816048115432009-10-29T02:02:03.468-04:002009-10-29T02:02:03.468-04:00We have really gone far down the rabbit hole now, ...We have really gone far down the rabbit hole now, haven't we? Three stubborn assholes are we.<br />Look Scott, when I talked about your tendency to demonize people, it was more a general observation about your interpersonal relationships with everyone. When you disagree with someone, you routinely become unhinged and unreasonable. You don't know where the line is. You go too far. We only have to scroll up the page to see what I mean.<br />I'm not going to point out "good Democrats" that you demonized. I'm not here to defend any politician, past or present. Politics and city government really has very little to do with what I am talking about here.<br />I did say, however, that you abused a lot of reporters.<br />And on that subject, I just wonder what you wrote to Bob to elicit that response. Why don't you post THAT so everyone can see how you really treated working reporters who most of the time had no choice but to nod, smile and accept your abuse? Or else be threatened with a phone call to the publisher?<br />I do recall a sharp e-mail exchange I had with Mr. Sear. I don't remember what it was about. But I do remember that I apologized to him and he to me. That's called behaving with some civility and class. As far as I know, Trent and I have been on fine terms since.<br />Two isolated incidents in which Bob and I might have acted out of anger is hardly evidence that we "used the Internet to attack people." Worded that way, it holds a much different connotation.<br />Finally, Scott, I stand proudly behind my record as the Allentown City Hall reporter at TMC.<br />I'm not going to talk about the specifics because it would only sound self-serving. All I'll say is that I was honest, worked hard and always tried to be fair.<br /><br />But some people won't believe that no matter what I write, so I think this will be it for me. At least in this thread.<br />I know, I know, Michael. I'm sorry. You're right. I suppressed your candidacy. <br />Funny how you and the Volvo Driving Soccer Mom are suppressing my response on the Lehigh Valley Politics Blog, but I suppose turnabout is fair play.<br />So you're right, Michael: I'm Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Hugo Chavez all rolled up into one. I came to Allentown just to thwart you.<br />My confession is complete. I am the world's foremost suppressor of local democracy.<br />Wonder if I can put that on my resume.<br /><br />Daryl NerlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-66146187267034532052009-10-28T20:54:55.245-04:002009-10-28T20:54:55.245-04:00daryl, here's another elaboration for the his...daryl, here's another elaboration for the historical record. ed pawlowski gave a press conference at 438 liberty st. in which he touted how the property was rehabilitated and being sold. you wrote quite a glowing article. i gave a press conference at the same property, and gave the real history of the property. how it had been owned by four different low income housing agencies and passed between them for over 12 years with no taxes paid. how much money was put into it, and how many homes were for sale by private owners which this subsidized property was competing with. you attended, but didn't write one word. i asked you if you were going to write about it, you said yes, i asked if you would write about it before the election, you laughed and said yes. you never did write an article. you previously stated here that heydt only had two or so articles. so one for me (parking authority) two for heydt (i remember one was the hotel traylor) and how many wittman articles did you hand in for pawlowski? i'm angry too!michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-24113797595828017222009-10-28T20:20:46.321-04:002009-10-28T20:20:46.321-04:00D.N. “When it comes to local government, there are...D.N. “When it comes to local government, there are no Democrats or Republicans. Only public officials who do good work and public officials who do poor work. Sometimes that is all embodied in the same person. As a reporter, I always felt it was part of my duty to illuminate the good work and expose the bad. Unfortunately, during my years in Allentown, most of it was bad.”<br /><br />If only it were so, Daryl.<br /><br />D.N. “You, on the other hand, will attach your name and seal of aproval to any candidate who shares your opinions. You demonize everyone else as evil, a pox on the city of Allentown.”<br /><br />Why not point out the good Democrats that I “demonized“, perhaps, Frank Concannon who never did an audit as city controller, Roy Afflerbach who is now legend for incompetence on a grand scale, his acolyte Ed Pawlowski who has done even more damage by steering the city to machine politics and even more debt, or how about any of the Democrats on council now, or even the new controller, which of these people have I unfairly criticized and who do amongst this group do you think deserve praise and perhaps even re-election?<br /><br />“One more very important thing: The accusation that Bob Wittman and I ever used the Internet or e-mails to personally attack anyone while we were covering the city is a bald-faced lie.”<br /><br />Gee Daryl, look what I have hung on to after all these years, why not ask Bob to authenticate it. I’m sure he will tell you he wrote it from his mcall e mail.<br /><br />“Hi Scott<br /><br />1. What you wrote this morning was as predictable as what you said last<br />night.<br />2. Newspapers report news. The root of the word "news" is "new." I<br />heard little<br />of that last night.<br />3. You told me last August you no longer read the newspaper. Do you<br />need the<br />telephone number to complete a stop order?<br />4. Are you aware there are some really good prescription drugs that<br />would do<br />wonders for your attitude problems?<br /><br />Bob Wittman<br /><br /><br />Fri Jan 31, 2003 11:15 am”<br /><br />By the way Daryl, I drew Bob’s scorn because I dared to ask Roy some tough questions at his first town meeting at the Scottish Rite Cathedral. I wasn’t the only one but Bob wrote a puff piece on the event and I called him on it. This was his response.<br /><br /><br />I will find your comment to Trent Sear in time, still want to call that a bald face lie.<br /><br />Daryl, it hasn’t been easy being a community leader or political activist seeking good government in a city with a paper that didn’t report the truth. You were part of the problem and clearly still are. In time I will no longer be part of any equation regarding this city but the problems I fought against will inflict pain on the city for years to come. That is the legacy of those who collaborated with the last two Democrat regimes. You weren’t the only one, Glenn Kranzley was the real villain, you were but a part player but guilty none the less. Plead your case all you want here but remember your record is preserved in the paper’s archive for all to see, even when the Call fails the record will be preserved . Those who care to know the truth can go back and read the rose colored reporting that masked the then gross mismanagement of Allentown by those who governed the city.<br /><br />Scott ArmstrongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-80812857239540663482009-10-28T19:25:25.789-04:002009-10-28T19:25:25.789-04:00Daryl and I have very little back channel comment ...Daryl and I have very little back channel comment on F/B. It is mostly limited to his comments on my blog, which he chooses to place there. Somebody deliberately copied his comment and placed it here. I told Daryl I would delete it but he told me I might as well leav it. <br /><br />All of my blg entries immediately appear as Notes on F/B as soon as they publish here. Anyone who is a "friend" can see them. I have about 1,100 such friends, mostly because I play Mafia Wars and use it as a diversion. <br /><br />But on F/B, unlike here, everybody knows who is leaving a comment. There is no anonymity. The only people who can see a comment there is someone who has been accepted as a F/B friend. <br /><br />It leads to more gentle conversation than what you see here. Nobody can get away with being a troll there bc yo can just defriend them. But there is also less coversation. <br /><br />I've opted for both. The F/B is friendlier than hereBernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-60249211865394954902009-10-28T19:11:59.312-04:002009-10-28T19:11:59.312-04:00daryl , i don't know anything about facebook, ...daryl , i don't know anything about facebook, was never on it. i also don't know what sort of back channel communication you have with bernie, if any. HOWEVER, there is something strange about this reference to jihad. Actually, although i have complained about your 05 election treatment of me privately, i don't believe i ever have written about it on my blog. i think the history of my public complaint is mostly limited to this comment thread, one comment from me is hardly the "millionth time." you revealed here you considered me nothing more than a racist landlord, distracting from the election. your coverage of me clearly reflected that was your perception. you might have chosen to see me as an informed property right activist. prior to the election you knew that i led both the opposition to the rental inspection law and the historic district. in your one short article on my candidacy, about 400 words, you chose to describe me as a landlord who had filed a homestead act paper in southwhitehall. another reporter might have found a conscientious property manager who knew you couldn't successfully legislate pride of ownership. another reporter might have found a historic preservationist who opposes the arbitrary decisions of a historical review board. lets be honest daryl, i actually picked you up at the morning call and drove you around to all the buildings i managed and explained my philosophy on allentown real estate, BUT YOU NEVER WROTE ONE WORD. you even asked me to let you know if i had a vacancy. <br /><br />you made the decision to suppress my candidacymichael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-55860316038554977542009-10-28T17:47:53.312-04:002009-10-28T17:47:53.312-04:00"When it comes to local government, there are...<em>"When it comes to local government, there are no Democrats or Republicans. Only public officials who do good work and public officials who do poor work. Sometimes that is all embodied in the same person."</em><br /><br />Loks like I fond tomorrow's one-liner. How true!Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-79508669015238331412009-10-28T17:41:58.722-04:002009-10-28T17:41:58.722-04:00There you go again, Michael, blaming me for things...There you go again, Michael, blaming me for things that have nothing to do with me. I never got to make decisions about whose photographs got to appear in the newspaper.<br />I would say jihad is a pretty apt description of what you are doing here, Michael. <br />That's been the main point of most of my posts. I'm just trying to get you to let it go. I didn't come after you until you questioned my ethics and professionalism here by for the millionth (please, excuse the hyperbole) time that I am somehow to blame for your failed campaign in 2005. And yes, this is exactly what you have done, time and time again. I should ignore it. But I am tired of it.<br />Perhaps the language was a bit strong, but all I did re: Hershman was try to remind Bernie (and only Bernie, since it was a FB post) that Lou's track record as a watchdog isn't quite what is claimed. Excuse me, but I think the pension vote is fair game and should be out in the open for the public to review.<br />But for this crime against humanity, you and Scott decide to play whack-a-mole with an ex-reporter who is trying to contribute something of value to the public discussion.<br />A few points for you Scott:<br />I have made it quite clear in my posts here that I have nothing but the utmost respect for Tom Burke. He may be the finest public official I have ever covered in my career. (Remember, he voted against the police pension deal Uncle Lou supported.) Charlie Thiel is an intelligent and thoughtful man who I consider a friend. The same goes for Vic Mazziotti, who you did not mention. Kudos to you for trying to get them elected. I never felt anything differently as far as that was concerned.<br />So square that away with your attacks accusing me of "sacrificing integrity for mere partisanship."<br />When it comes to local government, there are no Democrats or Republicans. Only public officials who do good work and public officials who do poor work. Sometimes that is all embodied in the same person. As a reporter, I always felt it was part of my duty to illuminate the good work and expose the bad. Unfortunately, during my years in Allentown, most of it was bad.<br />You, on the other hand, will attach your name and seal of aproval to any candidate who shares your opinions. You demonize everyone else as evil, a pox on the city of Allentown.<br />I'll add that in your dealings with me, you were always quite schizophrenic. If I wrote a story you agreed with, I was the greatest journalist in TMC's history. If I wrote something you found disagreeable, I lacked integrity and was contributing to the destruction of the city.<br />To my knowledge, every reporter who ever knew you grew to loathe you for this reason. And I knew quite a few reporters who worked with you.<br />We all grew tired of getting the shit kicked out of us for nothing more than trying to do our jobs. And none of us could truly defend ourselves from you because we always had to maintain a certain level of professional decorum and distance. This is something you knew and took advantage of. Repeatedly.<br />I no longer have to stand here and be your punching bag. And I won't. If you hit me, I am going to hit back. I learned on Brooklyn school yards 30 years ago that this is the only way you deal with bullies.<br />And if I have sounded particularly angry, it might be because I am. I don't deserve to be unemployed. So if my language and tone has been too sharp for some delicate sensibilities here, I apologize.<br />One more very important thing: The accusation that Bob Wittman and I ever used the Internet or e-mails to personally attack anyone while we were covering the city is a bald-faced lie.<br />I expect a public apology for Mr. Wittman and myself, from you Scott, presently.<br /><br />Daryl NerlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-24535210308158447802009-10-28T13:32:34.328-04:002009-10-28T13:32:34.328-04:00bernie, i wouldn't say i have a jihad against...bernie, i wouldn't say i have a jihad against nerl. i have maintained, but seldom wrote, that he under reported me in 05. <br />if we have learned anything from the phillips situation, nerl shouldn't be surprised that a comment put on your facebook page ended up here. in that comment he calls lou hershman a clown. as you know i have supported lou on my blog, which seldom supports candidates. although i took the opportunity to express my opinion of being mistreated myself by nerl, he certainly confirmed my contentions. He did so in such a blatant fashion that i have linked here from both my blog and poliblog. if i have a "jihad", or was actually a victim of a biased reporter, i have invited the public to decide.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-10239953779878698062009-10-28T12:50:29.494-04:002009-10-28T12:50:29.494-04:00When you attempt to enlist allies in your jihad ag...When you attempt to enlist allies in your jihad against Daryl by baiting them, you are acting like Villa. When you focus on a squabble with an ex-reporter (who did lose his jobn and might be a little angry) while the whole LV is more focused on Tuesday's election, you act just like him. When you tell me what I can and cannot say, you are there again.<br /><br />Do me a favor and don't ever try to bait me again.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-76104971846184229582009-10-28T12:41:16.135-04:002009-10-28T12:41:16.135-04:00bernie, do me one favor. feel free to express exc...bernie, do me one favor. feel free to express exception to my suggestions, but don't use the term villa-esque. i don't think that there is any comparison to the comments that we submit to your blog.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-87466562820588727822009-10-28T12:29:00.685-04:002009-10-28T12:29:00.685-04:00I will add that you are baiting me and I resent it...I will add that you are baiting me and I resent it. Very Villa-esque. <br /><br />Let me do my thing. I took me several hours yesterday just to get and assemble the data for the NC Council finance reports. I am trying as best I can to cover what is going on right now and really have no time for this now. I do think it's pretty interesting, but I'm more interested in Northampton County Council, LC Exec, LC Com'r and Allentown City Council.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-56174576289285307812009-10-28T11:38:01.669-04:002009-10-28T11:38:01.669-04:00MM,
What I am trying to do is cover the 2009 elec...MM,<br /><br />What I am trying to do is cover the 2009 election, not the 2005 election. There are people running now who deserve our attention. <br /><br />Yes, I'm astonished at all these exchanges, but what happened four years ago will be more interesting after the election.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-69181844335852499792009-10-28T11:22:58.173-04:002009-10-28T11:22:58.173-04:00Mike,
I seem to remember that both Daryl and Bo...Mike,<br /><br /> I seem to remember that both Daryl and Bob Witman posted personal attacks on the internet with their mcall e-mails when they were employed with the paper. They apparently thought that was appropriate behavior then. Clearly Daryl has axes to grind now and has made our civic and professionally related complaints and disagreement very personal. Although I was disappointed by Daryl’s reporting I was always respectful when our paths inadvertently crossed, now I know he thought he was shaking hands with, amongst other slurs, “a wing nut”.<br /><br />Scott ArmstrongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-44869134505783059862009-10-28T10:22:19.880-04:002009-10-28T10:22:19.880-04:00bernie, i believe we are beyond being dismissed as...bernie, i believe we are beyond being dismissed as "off topic" with the nerl/armstrong/molovinsky dialogue<br /><br />i'm trying to understand your silence<br /><br />i know that you are flattered by visits from the MSM, apparently that must hold true for former reporters<br /><br />considering that daryl questions hershman's motives, unnecessarily notes renshaw's lack of institutional memory and clearly states that he is no longer a reporter...........????michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-65012899624027799672009-10-28T09:21:07.215-04:002009-10-28T09:21:07.215-04:00scott, although not much of a reporter, daryl de...scott, although not much of a reporter, daryl deserves credit for his craft at distortion and innuendo. he probably knows that neither you or I resort to anonymous personal disparaging remarks, the "whale" matter is now associated with us.<br />he ignores burke's and thiel's loss, both obvious victims of straight party voting and hangs the blame on you.<br /><br />he knows that i never claimed he cost me the election, but rather that he failed to give me fair coverage. although he never explored what my experience at property management could bring to the table, he always called me "Landlord Molovinsky". Had he paid just minimum attention to my campaign, he would know that i did advertise in the paper (ten small ads), did have volunteers, and spent less per vote than heydt and pawlowski. perhaps the most illustrative point of his biased coverage was that my picture never once appeared in the paper.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-82004112629368320682009-10-28T08:12:48.224-04:002009-10-28T08:12:48.224-04:00Daryl,
FYI I am no longer involved with the lo...Daryl,<br /><br /> FYI I am no longer involved with the local Republican Committee. <br /> The fact that extremely well qualified Republican candidates lost council races in Allentown was a loss for the city. I recruited the best candidates and ran respectable races. I did it in an effort to bring good government to the city. That unfortunately did not happen and the results are what they are. All one can do is try their best and that I did. I failed to overcome the political dynamic of the city and the nation.<br /> One thing we share is the fact that we are both losers, however one of us never sacrificed their integrity for mere partisanship. The people I worked for were worthy of the public trust.<br /><br /> Scott ArmstrongAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-33961876564372674552009-10-28T05:43:52.762-04:002009-10-28T05:43:52.762-04:00daryl, your analysis of the 2005 election is as s...daryl, your analysis of the 2005 election is as slanted as your reporting. to equate money raised from an independent with a major party candidate is absurd, and then to equate the money with the effort involved to attend voter functions is more absurd. do you think pawlowski is working 6 times harder than phillips?<br />you only covered my press conference about the parking authority, you attended but did not write up the two others, one on low income housing, the other crime; hardly repetitive.<br />you asked me more questions on the online chat, several days before the election, than you did all year. you never wrote an article on me, with the exception of a short announcement questioning my residency. your opposition to me was based on my community activism from years prior; for instance, the rental law was passed back in 1998.<br /><br />lastly, it's a easy cheap shot to equate racism with informed opposition to a poverty magnet. although everyone decries the center city problem being from too many apartments owned by "slumlords" (that's more polite than talking about the tenants) the city has yet to find an effective solution. wouldn't it be nice if a straight talking person who had experience as a conscientious landlord stepped forward who really understood the problem. what an opportunity that would be for a good reporter.michael molovinskyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9299655.post-28568330086964694872009-10-28T02:57:42.591-04:002009-10-28T02:57:42.591-04:00Yeah, Scott, actually I am going to deny that. I t...Yeah, Scott, actually I am going to deny that. I think you are just trying to deflect your repeated failures as the city's GOP coordinator. How many elections have you won? Zero? You've delivered less often in autumn than A-Rod. <br />Looks like the 0-fer continues this year, doesn't it? How's that annointed GOP mayoral candidate working out for you?<br />But just keep blaming the messenger, even years after he's gone. Maybe people won't notice what a fool you are.<br />Interesting how you had no issues with Renshaw's assessment of the City Council candidates. I suspect you would jump on board anything that justifies your existence or completely coincides with your prejudged worldview. So let's not pretend you have any intellectual credibility, OK?<br />And by the way, I'm not a journalist anymore, so I no longer have to have an attitude befitting one. <br />What's your excuse for having an attitude unbefitting a human?<br /><br /><br />Michael, I am going to try this only once more with you. And I'm going to use small words so that you will be sure to understand.<br />You did not work as hard or as well as Mayor Heydt or Mayor Pawlowski during your campaign.<br />Heydt and Pawlowski recruited armies of volunteers and raised thousands of dollars to buy ad space in newspapers, on TV and on the radio. They sent out mailers to spread the word of their campaign platforms. In short, they did not rely on TMC to get their message out for them. They did it themselves. If memory serves, Heydt didn't hold more than a press conference or two that we covered. Yet he managed to get, I don't know, a thousand times more votes than you did?<br />Under the law, newspapers are not required to give equal time to candidates. That was determined by the U.S. Supreme Court 35 years ago in Miami Herald v. Tornillo. Look it up, if you like.<br />Now I am sure, Michael, that a lot of politicians I have covered over the years will back me up on this statement. I always warned them that TMC's policy on campaign coverage was that we would not write about press conferences that got repetitive. In other words, if you kept repeating the same stuff over and over again, without some new policy initiative or new information, we would not print it. Even if I went back to the office, and wrote the prose of angels (or had Roy Afflerbach do it for me), the editors would spike it. It is a policy I completely and wholeheartedly agreed with. You want to repeat the same shit over and over again: Buy an ad. We print news on the news pages. Period.<br />Now, I believe I did write your first news conference. At least your campaign announcement. That and every conference that followed was a variation on the same theme: that an influx of minorities has been bad for the city and you would do all you could to stem the tide of brown-skinned poor people. I believe I did write that. Once.<br />Twice and it would not have seen ink. Those were decisions made above my pay grade. I told you before: No decisions about any story (the ones written and the ones aborted) at The Call were made in a vacuum. At least one, if not two or three editors got to weigh in.<br />Now, Michael. I have made one final earnest attempt to explain to you why I alone am not to blame for you losing the mayoral election of 2005.<br />So Captain Ahab, will you finally stop hunting for the whale?<br />Get it? Whale?<br />Derhuh! Derhuh! Derhuh!<br />Twinkie Boy made a funny.<br />And they accuse me of being mean and vitriolic.<br />Stay classy Allentown.<br /><br /><br />Daryl NerlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com