August 8, 2008 - 6:02am
Tracking the tracker
By Wally EdgeThe dreaded tracker is back. For those of you with families, jobs and...a life – a tracker is someone who has a camera or some such recording device and follows a political candidate.
Perhaps the most famous tracking incident came during the Virginia Senate race in what came to be known as the “macaca incident” where then Senator George Allen was caught on tape referring to his own personal tracker as a macaca, which is apparently a bad word---in Europe.
Anyway, that incident has spawned the era of the tracker. According to the Collins campaign “A new tracker has been following Senator Collins this summer. She recently showed up at the Norway Sidewalk Arts Festival, and stayed at Senator Collins' side taping her the whole time.”
Apparently, the tracker is now wearing a wig. Which I assume assists the tracker in the art of tracking.
In fairness, it should be pointed out that I have been tracked by Susan Collins for the past 2 weeks. Every time I turn on my TV, there she is chatting about some energy plan, or there she is with a bunch of kids in front of a flag. I can’t get away from her. Is she a sponsor of the Olympics?
What should be done about trackers?
Nothing. If Paris Hilton can run a campaign ad for President, I’m fairly confident that the electoral process can survive trackers
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Tracking the Tracker
I think we could invent a board game and do something like a "Where's Waldo?" in reference to the trackers. We could sell it and raise money to give to the fuel assistance programs.
The Republicans have hired a
The Republicans have hired a tracker - i think he is being paid by Roy Leonardson. He has been stalking Democratic candidates at all levels. Was harassing state and federal candidates at some recent events. He is from New Jersey I heard and seems kind of like the average young Republican tracker who could care less about Maine manners, privacy, etc.
Tired of whining
Stalking? Seriously? Either grow thicker skin or stop following politics.
Trackers have been used for centuries, it is just now that digital imaging and voice recording have people been aware of the trackers. It is part of opposition research and part of politics. They aren't "stalking" or "harassing" candidates, people should be held accountable for their words and actions. If you put your name out there for public office, you should expect a tracker or some form of opposition around your campaign events. That is part of the process.
It is ridiculous that people who claim to follow politics find trackers offensive. If the Allen campaign were smarter they wouldn't have used the same tracker for every Collins event. This would be a non-issue as there wouldn't be multiple instances of a tracker being spotted.
Get over it people, trackers are only harmful to a campaign if your candidate is a complete moron and say things they shouldn't say in public. Who cares if the Republicans have a tracker, I am sure they have more than one. Same thing with the Democrats (Allen obviously only has one though).
Not really trackers
The term "tracker" is being misused here. I am a tracker, but not the kind of tracker in this article. I think the term is being completely misused and misunderstood. These people would more correctly be called stalkers. Trackers, in the traditional sense, are those of us who have skill in following footprints and signs of passage left by man or animal. That is the real "art of tracking" Wearing a wig and following someone around with a video camera is NOT tracking. It is stalking. Let's call a spade a spade, please. Traditional tracking is an honorable pursuit, often used to assist with search and rescue efforts, or in biological studies of wildlife. Please do not mis-use the term. The REAL trackers will thank you. See www.ispt.org for more about real trackers and what we do.
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