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I don't think it's unethical. I don't think there's an expectation of privacy at a political fundraising event; I doubt the principal could be more out of place than here. Moreover there's a public interest in knowing what a candidate for president thinks. Especially one who thinks we should speak of tax policy in quiet rooms.<br><br>As for the bar in this election: It's still well above the 'McCain's black baby' or the Willie Horton campaigns. <br><br>Sunil<br><br><div><div id="SkyDrivePlaceholder"></div>> Date: Tue, 2 Oct 2012 19:21:43 -0700<br>> From: godshatter@yahoo.com<br>> To: philosopher.joe@gmail.com<br>> CC: vision2020@moscow.com<br>> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Dems like secret recordings<br>> <br>> <br>> It's not Romney talking about the 47% to a bunch of wealthy donors that <br>> I'm referring to when I refer to ethics. It's the surreptitious taking <br>> of a video and then giving it (selling it?) to a political magazine and <br>> the subsequent mass media frenzy this ignited that I'm referring to. <br>> That's the "low bar". He wasn't saying it in a place that he thought <br>> fact-checkers would be pouring over his words. He said it in a private <br>> home to a private group of donors. For all I know, he doesn't believe <br>> it but said it because his prospective donors believed it.<br>> <br>> My remarks about Obama weren't meant to absolve Romney of whatever crime <br>> he performed by being saying what he said, I just wanted to point out <br>> that *all* politicians of any real calibre do the same thing. They <br>> censure themselves when they might be quoted and are more direct when <br>> speaking in trusted groups. Unless you are Jesus or the Dalai Lama, you <br>> do the same thing, as do I.<br>> <br>> Paul<br>> <br>> On 10/02/2012 03:50 PM, Joe Campbell wrote:<br>> > I don't see your point, Paul. Obama would do it, so it is OK for<br>> > Romney to do it? People should be entitled to insult half the country<br>> > if they have the expectation that that half is not listening? When you<br>> > are pandering to voters in your party, you're entitled to say whatever<br>> > insulting thing you wish?<br>> ><br>> > How is criticizing someone for insulting half the country setting the<br>> > bar "too low"?<br>> ><br>> > You seem to have this fatalistic attitude that politicians are jerks<br>> > and there is nothing we can do about it. No point criticizing Romney<br>> > since Obama does the same. I say: If it is wrong, say something. Don't<br>> > put up with offensive crap from politicians. I don't care who does it.<br>> > It is just WRONG to insult half the country when you are running for<br>> > President of the United States of America. Wrong for Obama, wrong for<br>> > Romney.<br>> ><br>> > Joe<br>> ><br>> > On Tue, Oct 2, 2012 at 2:56 PM, Paul Rumelhart <godshatter@yahoo.com> wrote:<br>> >> This was a private fundraiser at a private home in Boca Raton Florida.<br>> >> There didn't look to be more than a dozen attendees that I could see from<br>> >> the video (not counting the servants, of course). I'd say he had a<br>> >> reasonable expectation that he wasn't going to be video-taped and uploaded<br>> >> to YouTube.<br>> >><br>> >> I would have to think that Obama would say things in such a setting that he<br>> >> wouldn't want uploaded, either. You speak to your audience, especially when<br>> >> it's supposed to be a closed affair.<br>> >><br>> >> If this were in a public venue or was a public event, I wouldn't be talking<br>> >> about ethics in this case. It doesn't matter to me, anyway, since I'm not<br>> >> voting for either person. I just don't like how low the bar is in this<br>> >> election.<br>> >><br>> >> Paul<br>> >><br>> >><br>> >> ________________________________<br>> >> From: Sue Hovey <suehovey@moscow.com><br>> >> To: Paul Rumelhart <godshatter@yahoo.com>; Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com>;<br>> >> Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com><br>> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 2:09 PM<br>> >> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Dems like secret recordings<br>> >><br>> >> But should someone have an expectation of privacy when speaking to a large<br>> >> group of supporters at a fundraising dinner. Seems to me this really isn’t<br>> >> an “in ones home” issue.<br>> >><br>> >> Sue Hovey<br>> >><br>> >> From: Paul Rumelhart<br>> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 02, 2012 1:25 PM<br>> >> To: Tom Hansen ; Moscow Vision 2020<br>> >> Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Dems like secret recordings<br>> >><br>> >> I was going to ask about the ethics of secretly taping a candidate in<br>> >> someone's private home when they had a real expectation of privacy, but I<br>> >> didn't want to wade through the hatred. What does Obama say behind closed<br>> >> doors?<br>> >><br>> >> Paul<br>> >><br>> >><br>> >> ________________________________<br>> >> From: Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com><br>> >> To: Moscow Vision 2020 <vision2020@moscow.com><br>> >> Sent: Tuesday, October 2, 2012 11:23 AM<br>> >> Subject: [Vision2020] Dems like secret recordings<br>> >><br>> >> Courtesy of the Letters section of today's (October 2, 2012) and the<br>> >> imagination of Moscow's Leonard Johnson.<br>> >><br>> >> -------------------------------------<br>> >><br>> >><br>> >> Dems like secret recordings<br>> >><br>> >> I believe it logical to assume that Democratic Party political campaign<br>> >> operatives have over the past three years, at minimum, surreptitiously<br>> >> recorded the statements, speeches and informal musings of every American<br>> >> citizen that seemed to be potentially a Republican candidate for election to<br>> >> the office of president of the United States in the November 2012 general<br>> >> elections.<br>> >> Leonard Johnson<br>> >> Moscow, Idaho<br>> >> -------------------------------------<br>> >><br>> >> Just because you are paranoid, Mr. Johnson, doesn't mean that they aren't<br>> >> after you<br>> >><br>> >> Paranoia self-destroya!<br>> >><br>> >> Seeya at the polls, Moscow, because . . .<br>> >><br>> >> "Moscow Cares"<br>> >> http://www.MoscowCares.com<br>> >> Tom Hansen<br>> >> Moscow, Idaho<br>> >><br>> >> "We're a town of about 23,000 with 10,000 college students. The college<br>> >> students are not very active in local elections (thank goodness!)."<br>> >><br>> >> - Dale Courtney (March 28, 2007)<br>> >><br>> >><br>> >> =======================================================<br>> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> >> http://www.fsr.net<br>> >> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> >> =======================================================<br>> >><br>> >> ________________________________<br>> >> =======================================================<br>> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> >> http://www.fsr.net<br>> >> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> >> =======================================================<br>> >><br>> >><br>> >><br>> >> =======================================================<br>> >> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> >> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> >> http://www.fsr.net<br>> >> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> >> =======================================================<br>> <br>> =======================================================<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> http://www.fsr.net<br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>> =======================================================<br></div> </div></body>
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