Be alert to a skewed process that favors candidates
Be alert to a skewed process that favors candidates
One concern about today’s candidate forum. The sponsors have not provided specific information on how the forum will be conducted - and all the sponsors are liberal organizations endorsing candidates.
One concern about today's candidate forum. The sponsors have not provided specific information on how the forum will be conducted - and all the sponsors are liberal organizations endorsing candidates. This leaves a lot of room for mischief - above unintentional bias. Who asks questions? How are they chosen? How much time to respond? Are the same questions asked of both candidates for an office? Do candidates ask questions of each other? And there could be another dozen very relevant concerns about the format and process.
A few years ago I helped start and manage the Lunch Time Soapbox Forums in downtown Bellingham. We had conservative and liberal members of the team and had clear guidelines and rules so as to be fair to all candidates. It was a constant struggle to keep the liberal MC from "forgetting" some rules and allowing an advantage to the liberal candidates. The excuse was the errors were minor and didn't matter and besides not everything can be done perfect. In other words, it would continue.
Our conservative team members dwindled to one. I made one last effort to have the rules followed which only resulted in jokes from most of the committee about my hangups. I quit the team at that meeting to loud angry protests from the liberals calling me a quitter. For whatever reason there was never another lunch time forum. I think it was because I was doing most of the organizing work. The liberals were just using me. Conservative candidates perceived me as fair and the liberals were using that.
I have not forgotten that very personal experience. And as we attend this evening's forum we should all be very alert to a skewed process that favors liberal candidates. When one thinks they are on a mission from God then they find it almost impossible to not skew the process to favor their desired outcome. Am I prejudging? No. But I've seen it too often and we have only four forums scheduled for this campaign season. This alert and reminder are well in order.
Who insults you can sometimes be a compliment. And if the Bellingham Herald enables below-the-belt personal attacks with no redeeming content - then the insult also reflects more on the Herald than the target of the insult. I draw your attention to a comment about me in the comments to Scott Ayers Sep. 14 blog post titled "Literacy Council's important work matters". (you have to scroll down a bit) While the blue bar below his post says there are zero comments, this is just a bug in the Herald's computer program. There are 4 comments - the 1st by me and the 3rd by a mentally sick person. I know who the person is because she used the same words and phrases in personal emails to me in the past. The Herald editor Julie Shirley has chosen to leave the comment online. All this contrasts with Scott's high-sounding words in his July 23 post.
Rainbow Coalition Candidate Forum
Sep 20, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:30 pm, contested offices for County, Bellingham and Bellingham School Board. Bellingham Senior Center at 315 Halleck
You can download a PDF file of their press release with full information.
A few years ago I helped start and manage the Lunch Time Soapbox Forums in downtown Bellingham. We had conservative and liberal members of the team and had clear guidelines and rules so as to be fair to all candidates. It was a constant struggle to keep the liberal MC from "forgetting" some rules and allowing an advantage to the liberal candidates. The excuse was the errors were minor and didn't matter and besides not everything can be done perfect. In other words, it would continue.
Our conservative team members dwindled to one. I made one last effort to have the rules followed which only resulted in jokes from most of the committee about my hangups. I quit the team at that meeting to loud angry protests from the liberals calling me a quitter. For whatever reason there was never another lunch time forum. I think it was because I was doing most of the organizing work. The liberals were just using me. Conservative candidates perceived me as fair and the liberals were using that.
I have not forgotten that very personal experience. And as we attend this evening's forum we should all be very alert to a skewed process that favors liberal candidates. When one thinks they are on a mission from God then they find it almost impossible to not skew the process to favor their desired outcome. Am I prejudging? No. But I've seen it too often and we have only four forums scheduled for this campaign season. This alert and reminder are well in order.
Who insults you can sometimes be a compliment. And if the Bellingham Herald enables below-the-belt personal attacks with no redeeming content - then the insult also reflects more on the Herald than the target of the insult. I draw your attention to a comment about me in the comments to Scott Ayers Sep. 14 blog post titled "Literacy Council's important work matters". (you have to scroll down a bit) While the blue bar below his post says there are zero comments, this is just a bug in the Herald's computer program. There are 4 comments - the 1st by me and the 3rd by a mentally sick person. I know who the person is because she used the same words and phrases in personal emails to me in the past. The Herald editor Julie Shirley has chosen to leave the comment online. All this contrasts with Scott's high-sounding words in his July 23 post.
Rainbow Coalition Candidate Forum
Sep 20, Thursday, 5:30 to 8:30 pm, contested offices for County, Bellingham and Bellingham School Board. Bellingham Senior Center at 315 Halleck
You can download a PDF file of their press release with full information.
