Author Archives: Clarke Condé

More Blurry Photos from Events May Reveal Brooks’ Funders

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As a photographer, I have always wished I could find a way to track down campaign money photographically.  Fortunately,  yesterday everything became a lot easier when I got this message from the Louise Slaughter campaign:

 

 

“Clarke–
Guess who Louise’s Republican opponent Maggie Brooks was caught on film cheering with at the GOP Convention in Tampa?
A picture says a thousand words and here she is with none other than David Koch, of the billionaire Koch Brothers and architect of almost every negative deceitful attack ad this year.
Who knows how much money the Koch brothers will pump into Rochester to get their golden girl Maggie elected.”

Could the Slaughter campaign have found a way (without looking at filings or disclosure reports from the FEC) to get at who is really backing Brooks?  Why else would somebody be at an event near another person if they weren’t giving them millions of dollars?

I went into my archive and found a slew of other blurry photos of Maggie Brooks at events that show people near her.  Could these blurry people “caught on film” near Maggie Brooks at some event pump millions into Rochester to get her elected?

Though he has not “contributed” to her campaign “officially”, longtime Rochester political insider Darryl Porter can be blurrily seen here with Maggie Brooks at an event of some kind. Photo by Clarke Condé.

While the Urban League of Rochester has not “endorsed” Maggie Brooks for congress, she was obviously at an event where they had a sign. Photo by Clarke Condé.

Though a longtime Slaughter supporter, Democratic County Legislator Paul Haney can be seen here listening intently to Maggie Brooks at a public event. Photo by Clarke Condé.

Former Congressman Eric Massa is seen in this blurry photo standing somewhat near Maggie Brooks. What could it mean? Photo by Clarke Condé.

Mayor Tom Richards (seen here in a blurry photo at an event where Maggie Brooks also was) is reported by some to have a lot of money AND has been known to give money to candidates running for political office. Photo by Clarke Condé.

 

Organized Labor Supports Louise Slaughter

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Photo by Clarke Condé.

ROCHESTER, NY- The New York State AFL-CIO, the umbrella group to which nearly all public, private and trade unions belong, officially announced their endorsement of Louise Slaughter today.  That’s right, the never conflicted, solidarity-filled House of Labor is behind Louise 100%.  Guess that settles that.

Tax Workers Not Wealth

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Photo by Clarke Condé.

ROCHESTER, NY- So goes the chant with which the dozen or so protesters greeted House Speaker John Boehner at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center for a Maggie Brooks fundraiser Saturday.  Dressed in furs, they proclaimed themselves “Millionaires for Maggie” and put on a bit of a show that was at the very least entertaining.   Protesters always spice up a campaign and as we round the 100 day mark before the election, it seems like time for a little more spice (and substance) from both sides in this campaign.

The Tale of Two Campaigns

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ROCHESTER, NY- County Executive Maggie Brooks briefly sits with a mother and small child for the cameras after a press conference at the library. Photo by Clarke Condé.

HENRETTA, NY- Congresswoman Louise Slaughter was scheduled to personally open a conference on trade policy at RIT, but is still not making public appearances. Photo by Clarke Condé.

ROCHESTER, NY- While there has been little public display of the campaign for the NY-25, two events today may offer a glimpse of what we are likely to see this autumn. As Congresswoman Louise Slaughter continues what staffers say is a four-hour daily regiment of physical therapy, her office continued to delve into national issues, including today’s U.S. trade policy conference at R.I.T without the Congresswoman. On the flipside, County Executive Brooks has cut every ribbon, announced every partnership and opened every dog park she could over the last few months in front of the camera, today kicking off the Monroe County Summer Reading program at the Central Library.

Thus far, not a peep has been peeped from the Brooks camp on a national issue and nary has a Slaughter been sighted from the Slaughter side.  The fundraising, of course, continues at a blistering pace, helped on both sides by Brooks recently being named to the GOP’s “Young Guns’ list of the top 21 blue to red campaigns.

So what of strategy as the coffers swell?  Will we see Slaughter stay focused on national issues and surrogates?  Will Brooks stick to local issues and retail politics?  And what will the massive amounts of money and brilliant out-of-town operatives that seem to follow such cash ad to the campaign?

Wait until August is what I keep hearing.

The State of the County

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PITTSFORD, NY – The temperature may have pushed 90 degrees in the St. John Fisher auditorium, but Maggie Books delivered what she hopes will be her last State of the County address cold.  Her ninth such speech, Brooks was an on-message machine dispatching jobs numbers and accolades with practiced precision.  As is her standard MO, Brooks must have mentioned jobs a dozen times in the first 20 minutes, speaking directly to what polls suggest is the number one issue for voters locally and nationally.

Having been to a handful of these State of the County addresses over the years, the difference was in the context.  While Brooks and her team have gotten better at making her view of her record the generally accepted one, her critics have seemingly gotten worse at disputing it.  If this speech was anything but a codification of the Maggie Brooks narrative, it was lost on me.

While many are asking how a Brooks congressional campaign will differ from a Brooks county campaign, I think the real question is why would it need to? I can’t help thinking that questions about Brooks positions on controversial national issues will be treated exactly like questions about administrative corruption have been, by both groups.  Brooks will stick to a brief statement and get back to talking about things local people care about (jobs and taxes) and critics will try frantically to convince the public that they should care about something else (other than jobs and taxes).  Say what you want, but it has worked three times before with the exact same voters.

Anyway, as the campaign progresses, I look very much forward to covering the race, On the Ground so to speak, in photos and commentary for Roc25.  This is a somewhat new role for me, but I couldn’t be happier to work with Rottenchester on this project.  Let me also say to my friends and potential tipsters, my phone number hasn’t changed, and to my critics and detractors, hang up and press one.

This is going to be fun.