 Dennis Lennox and Bruce Fealk are analyzed in-depth in this HomeTownLife.com story by Annette Kingsbury. There is a lot of detail in the article, and we recommend it for those who've followed either the Lennox or Fealk (or both) stories.
Most interesting of the long piece is this tidbit:
Lennox says his campaign has nothing to do with politics. Fealk's is all about Knollenberg's voting record. Each decries the other's tactics.
"He's not talking about issues," Fealk said, referring to Lennox. "He's just trying to annoy Gary. Mine has been a little bit of that, but I'm focused on Joe's positions on the issues."
"His (Fealk's) tactics are quite unfortunate and a little extreme at times," Lennox said. "In terms of grass roots we're very similar. ... I consider him entirely different."
Fealk admits to "a little bit of that" in talking about "trying to annoy". So, at least he admits that partially what he's doing. Of course, Fealk's point about "I'm talking issues, he isn't" is sort of a he-said, she-said, or "my sh** doesn't stink but his does" argument. Ultimately, the voter will decide which issues are important. To be fair to Bruce, I believe part of his rhetoric does involve issues, and part is purely stage theatre and intent-to-annoy and distract Joe from issues. But to dismiss Lennox's arguments on the whole (Lennox has, at times, asked non-relevant questions, but he's 20 years the younger of Fealk, which is an interesting contrast itself) as "non-issues" is wrong - Lennox has raised, real, serious ethical questions regarding the use of public resources, sweetheart deals, and just yesterday a Lennox uncovered a "fake" photograph on Peters' website that if real would have been a misuse of Central Michigan University (CMU) resources and the access his position grants him, reported on at OutsideLansing.com with FlickR photos of the changes. Or look just at the last two FlickR photos (you have to look closely, using the largest size features). Peters changed his website because Lennox caught the error.
Bottom line - Fealk gives you just enough repetition of talking points on some of the "issues" (war in Iraq, health care, etc.) to retain some of his credibility with the left, but his overall operating pattern fits that of someone trying to distract and intimidate. Fealk has appeared at the Congressman's home with a video-camera - Lennox, followed Peters from his public job office space where he's denied access to his car parked on public property, merely asking questions which Peters had a right to answer or ignore. I see real TV reporters (Hall of Shame on local TV, all the way to Dateline NBC) follow people from offices to cars and asking questions - that's starkly different from showing up on someone's door step (and when reporters camp out on someone's front lawn I disapprove as well).
And bottom line - even if both are ill-motivated, and look like fools, the First Amendment protects fools (or those the mainstream labels such) as well so long as their behavior doesn't put people in harms way or cause a reasonable person to be threatened. |
