CityCaucus paranoid?
Did Van Sun's Jeff Lee play Tweedledum to Mike Klassen's Tweedledee?
If you're wondering where a certain reporter is getting the "scoop" on civic affairs, look no further than NPA blogger Mike Klassen, the blogger behind the paranoid CityCaucus blog. Yesterday the Vancouver Sun's Jeff Lee posted a story about a leaked memo to City Manager Penny Ballem that said that city staff were "politicized, worn down by aggressive council agenda." This memo originally appeared on Klassen's site just a day earlier. It's not the first time that Lee and Klassen appear to have been managing the same information.
If you don't know who Klassen is, he's the guy behind the guy who brought you the HST. Yep, Colin Hansen's campaign manager.
Besides being a BC Liberal organizer, Klassen's also an NPA operative who organized for Sam Sullivan, guided Sullivan's web presence through his company ThinkCap.com (see screenshots).
Lately, Klassen's taken a frontline role on his anti-Vision website, where he routinely dumps on a variety of topics: Hollyhock, bikes and bike lanes, tubas - if they're in the hands of Gregor Robertson, Penny Ballem...[he also loves to dump on VO's publisher's brother, Joel.] Did I mention Hollyhock and bikes? Oh yeah. I did. He really hates those.
Things the paranoid CityCaucus blog doesn't touch include Vision's successful housing program, the clean-up of disastrous NPA deals like the billion dollar Olympic Village fiasco, Mayor Robertson's successful hosting of the Winter Olympics, and Little Mountain and of course the lack of any coherent alternative NPA vision for the city.
Remember that clip from the Sam Sullivan film made during that campaign? Sullivan turns to the camera and says about his opponent Jim Green, “I'm going to keep my foot on his God-damned throat and I'm going to just keep pressing and see if the guy can breathe at the end of it all.” That’s exactly how Sullivan's team played.
- 1
- |
- 2
- |
- 3
- next ›
- last page »
More in Political Junkie
(9) Comments
Citycaucus.com aka NPAcaucus.com ... You actually expect bloggers like Klassen to be over the top in order to get the eyeballs onto their blog, borderline crazy in a fun way, but not mad as hatters, as he and his brethren have morphed into, particularly his crazy uncle Alex. The tone they set is nasty, a "mean as a snake" kind of nasty.
If you are so inclined to slog through their blog postings over the last fews months (I don’t recommend it, particularly AGT), and review the comments, it is quite disturbing the sycophantic behavior amongst the tribe, and self congratulatory back slapping when a “story is leaked”, as they all seem to be. They swallow the rhetoric spewed forth by Klassen and Uncle Alex without discourse, eagerly slurping it up at the trough, intoxicated and giddy they attack anybody with a counter point of view, particularly those who even hint at a moderate or progressive perspective.
They have even become paranoid to the point that they try to “out” those who comment anonymously, as Vision undercover operatives who are trying to manipulate their thoughts and views with reverse psychology techniques, laughable to point of sillyness, no kidding check it out! http://www.citycaucus.com/2010/09/media-wont-be-swayed-by-visions-so-cal... …
Now don’t get me wrong the NPAcaucus.com actually does have a few very knowledgeable contributors with real deep experience at city hall from the past, and with earnest heartfelt passion – they should organize around them and keep the others at bay.
Also it would be great if they try to take a page from Frances Bula’s playbook, that much to her credit, takes a more rational and balanced approach to the facts and editorial comment, kudos to her. But then again they are the NPA offical party mouthpiece, a balanced approach would not necessarily dig them out of the ditch they find themselves or so they believe.
And then there is the MSM (Lee in this case) who should tow a higher journalistic standard, and not appear to take sides with the “good old boys” of the rightwing blogsphere, the optics are bad and he should know better. This is disappointing but not surprising considering the turmoil the industry is in - shifting from ink to link, with jobs vanishing. The rules are becoming fast and loose as the profession unravels and the previous high professional standards a ghost of what they were in the past, thanks to Murdoch’s Fox empire and the like.
True professionals like Lee must be a wee bit nervous about the future and their relevance in it as an investigative journalist (is there a new profession emerging – investigative blogger, hmmm). Hey I heard a rumor that Mike and and his crazy uncle Alex are looking to hire a professional journalist to give them some credibility, but then again why would they bother, its gotta be a lot more fun creating some of the crazy shit they post.
@VanRambler … Wow, that’s rich! Yellow journalism, character assassination, vicious smear, hmmmm… there seems to be a radical paranoia pattern emerging from your ilk of late, particularly on Citycaucus.com, the NPA voice.
But to the point, have you ever noticed that Klassen rarely responds (or so rarely that I can't find any) to his detractors in open discourse once he has posted his “insights” or “leaked” story… even when asked questions directly on his blog, unless of course it's to congratulate each other.
At least Klassens NPA attackdog, Alex Tsakumis attempts to defend his position, usually by means of hurling expletives and name calling like a schoolyard bully, yeah I know, sticks and stones. Klassen leaves his bidding up to his special team of enforcers to come to the defense (the usual suspects on all the rightwing blogs), not in any sense a rational discussion but in "vicious" nonsensical terms, and usually so over the top cynical that I would think I was reading a transcript from a Bill O’Reilly show.
I guess this is how he stays “above the fray” until he files another late breaking blog entry, spinning the NPA party rightwing agenda with an over the top portrayal of how the current administration is trying to intentionally screw you personally. From my view the real tweedledee and tweedledum are MK and AGT, nice tag team …WWF NPA style anyone?
I get a kick out of anyone identifying Klassen as a "reporter." He who makes such a claim reveals his bias and blindness. Klassen is a powerful advocate with a clear and transparent point-of-view (except when he is a "parent" on Global BC). He is a commentator at best and a campaigner the rest of the time. A journalist, he certainly is not. He will be better served to wear his political stripe more often -- as in, always -- and not pretend he plays at impartiality or independence.
Oh, groan, Ian.
Bloggers and journalists talk back and forth all the time. I suspect you yourself have probably had conversations with people like Jonathan whats-his-face, when his drivel filled Vision backed blog was running. Gee, whatever happened to him? And perhaps you traded "news items" with the Vancouver Kid, once in a while? Funny, he's landed at City hall and not a discouraging word do you make.
Bloggers obviously post their own opinions. That they are breaking more and more news items these days is a credit to them. You shouldn't throw stones anyway. While I don't agree with a lot of Klassen's opinions, he and Alex are breaking the kind of news that the msm reporters seem unable to put out there (terrified publishers? Too many files to work on?).
As for Jeff Lee, I think he has always called him like he sees 'em. He's written favourable piece on Vision, when I didn't think it was particularily warranted. In fact, I'd say he gave the regime the benefit of the doubt, many times. Now, when things aren't going so well, you want to poop on him and question his integrity? Let's see, first him, then Gary Mason...why, soon you'll be screaming at Allen Garr! Laughable.
If it's true and it's news, tough darts. Sorry your boy, Meggs and the City Manager are getting gored these days. Even Garr thinks it's a shite show over at the hall.
I was not bankrupt during the 2005 election and am not now.
Take this down of suffer legal consequences.