The conversation went like this... On January 3rd I kindly asked Assemblywoman Janet Duprey if she would be willing to answer some questions for our readers. The questions were pretty easy, like most of the other interviews we have done over the past several weeks -- what are your core principles, what are the issues you will run on in 2010, what are your major accomplishments in office, what did you think the NY-23 special election and the direction of the party, etc.
I thought I had the Assemblywoman lined up for a post when she responded on January 11th that she would answer my questions once she found the time. Then, a few days later she had a sudden change of heart. She had questions about who I was and what the blog was all about. Maintaining hope that the assemblywoman would still be willing to participate and share with our readers her thoughts on politics and her upcoming campaign, I responded on January 14th about the purpose of this blog, the reason for my anonymity, etc. Then today I get her response/rebuke. Here is what she wrote today in response to my request earlier this month,
I have given your request considerable thought. I do not follow any blogs, including yours, so being on a blog is not something that interests me.In addition, I have never given any credibility to a person who is 'anonymous'. If someone does not have the courage and integrity to identify himself/herself, I have always refused any dialogue.Thank you for contacting me. Should circumstances change later in the year, I may at that time decide to respond.
I have to admit that it hurt to be called uncourageous. It hurt that my integrity was challenged. In any event, I hope circumstances will change later in the year, and that the assemblywoman will reconsider. Voters want to know who the assemblywoman really is and what she really stands for. It is important for our political leaders to share their thoughts so that the voters can have a real chance to make informed votes, and so that together we can encourage more dialogue and greater participatory democracy. No one wants a censored and watered down political environment. People want to talk about the future and how to fix our problems. Unfortunately, in this case, it seems my anonymity has becoming a bit of a liability in my attempt to get information out to the general public. To all of my readers I am very sorry about this.
Hopefully, I can turn it around and score another good interview with a different candidate. If you know of one please have their campaign e-mail me at whatsupny23@gmail.com. I'm putting up a poll on my sidebar to see whether you, the people, believe Janet Duprey should answer some of our questions so that we can have a lively debate on the future direction of New York and this great country.
She wrote in part: ".... I have never given any credibility to a person who is 'anonymous'..."
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with her... as I tell all Anonymous posters here who enjoy blasting me, come out and fight (debate) in public...
A good principle.
It sounds like Janet is living in the stone ages. She doesn't ever read any blogs? And she goes on to attack Buggs for giving her the opportunity to share her message. She should be thanking him. Instead she comes off as angry, rude, and arrogant.
ReplyDeletethe arrogance
ReplyDeleteThe anonymity of the questioner has no significance on the validity of the question. These are questions that the people of the 114th assembly district want answered. Too often it is the blogger him/her self that becomes the subject of attention as opposed to the substance of the message (or questions in this case). It looks like Janet Duprey is playing the old liberal card of attacking the messenger.
ReplyDeleteI write a blog. I don't interview people, however, and I write my opinions using my own name and I allow anonymous comments.
ReplyDeleteI do respect Janet's right to refuse the interview. However, if she actually does not read any blogs, she is making a huge mistake as a public servant by ignoring a vital component of the information age. If her young voters get wind of her remark, they will think she still lives in a cave.
Whatever the opinions or information found on blogs, they are those of real people. Assuming, of course Buggs, is not actually a rabbit.
Case in point. The WatertownDailyTimes.com.
Buggs, I remain committed to candor and openness in my campaign. Perhaps Ms. Duprey believes that I am Buggs. So I will state publicly that while I am competent in all things IT, I am not Buggs Buddy. I invite your followers to analyze the substance of my stated beliefs and opinions, as well as the "Content of My Character". I believe our elected representatives can do a much better job in office when they know the voters sent them, and not the person they pretended to be."
ReplyDeleteDavid Kimmel, Candidate for 114th Assembly District.
Let's take a town hall format where the questions are written by members of the audience and sent up to the moderator to be read. Their source is anonymous yet the question is real. I wonder if Ms. Duprey takes exception to that format as well? There is no difference between this and that. So, what is the problem Ms. Duprey? This...where the audience takes their time to read an interview carefully planned and answers carefully given OR that...where the questions are read aloud and the candidate has not time to thoughtfully plan an answer. UMMMM? It seems to me that this is an exceptional format for any candidate to get their message out. This was a mistake, Ms. Duprey.
ReplyDeleteThere is quite a difference between the town hall format and this blog. In a town hall format, Ms. Duprey's answers cannot be edited, re-written or totally fabricated.
ReplyDeleteExcellent point on the town hall analogy. And the "cave" comment couldn't be more accurate. The fact that Janet Duprey even uttered the words "I do not follow any blogs, including yours, so being on a blog is not something that interests me" illustrates how "out of touch" she really is. And given her lack of ability or willingness to use a very widely used communication tool, it's no wonder that she's so ineffective at getting anything done in Albany.
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous at 12:30PM: What evidence do you have that Buggs Buddy is a manipulative liar? This is a serious charge and you should have some evidence to back it up. Has any interviewed candidate every made the charge that their words were "totally fabricated?" If not, then YOUR words are (at best) irresponsible and (at worst)malicious. So your accusation is based on "total fabrication."
ReplyDeleteFor Janet to say she doesn't read any blogs is like Sarah Palin saying she doesn't know what newspapers she reads. She just sounds so stupid!
ReplyDeletesounds like she flip-flopped on you buddy
ReplyDelete"Say...whether peace is best preserved by giving energy to the government, or information to the people. This last is the most certain and the most legitimate engine of government." - Thomas Jefferson
ReplyDeletePerhaps Ms. Duprey doesn't want anyone to really know who she is and therefore doesn't want to be tied to something etched in zeros and ones. She's already shown that she isn't a Republican, Conservative. She did say that she's only one person out of 150 in the Assembly and that it's really hard to get stuff done. No wonder Albany is in trouble! Can we send David Kimmel BEFORE the election? Darn...
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you interview Doug Hoffman and get down to his core views #23. Now that'a an interview.
ReplyDelete725 - all you'd get is a spin job from Hoffman's PR lackies. Until Hoffman does an off the cuff interview with a real reporter on camera I will not vote for him.
ReplyDeleteConRep - Go chomp on a coupla carrots and settle down. I cast no aspersions about Buggs. I merely pointed out that, in a town hall format, there exists no possibility for Janet Duprey to have her words taken out of context or completely made up. However, the possibility exists in any interview with the author of any anonymous blog for that to happen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the previous posts that Janet Durpey sounds foolish for her comments about not reading any blogs.
ReplyDeleteOh no! Janet Duprey doesn't read blogs! She doesn't care what anonymous posters have to say!
ReplyDeletePerhaps she prefers to speak with constituents face-to-face?