QUOTE
Published Wednesday October 18, 2006
'Tracker' dogs Senate candidate
BY CINDY GONZALEZ
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
He's become a big follower of U.S. Senate candidate Pete Ricketts, trailing the GOP hopeful to parades, picnics and statewide campaign stops.
And he isn't even a Republican.
Ricketts' campaign staff has nicknamed the tag-along "Matt Matt the Democrat."
In the political world, the young, mild-mannered Matt is known as a "tracker," a hired hand who doggedly pursues a candidate with video camera in tow, taping the candidate's moves and remarks for review by the opposing camp.
Both Democratic and Republican leaders say tracking is a tactic used routinely by many campaigns to look for inconsistencies and blunders.
"This is just a common practice these days where there are people on both sides tracking each other's movements and actions and words," said Marcia Cady, a spokeswoman for Ricketts' opponent, Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson.
The Nebraska Democratic Party confirmed that Matt Schaub is on its payroll as a tracker. Executive Director Barry Rubin said Schaub's purpose is mainly to record events organized by the competition.
Rubin's GOP counterpart, Tiffiny Carlton, said the Nebraska Republican Party does not employ any trackers, although Rubin and Cady say they have seen Republicans taping and following Democratic candidates.
"We have definitely seen Republican operatives at our events doing the same thing," Rubin said.
Atlhough tracking is not new, a tracker's tools today are easier to tote - and Internet advances, such as video-hosting site YouTube.com, allow material to be quickly launched into cyberspace.
Democrats say their tracker's recordings haven't turned up on any Web site that they know of. Rubin says they are used primarily for internal strategy, but he said the party wouldn't rule out another use.
At a recent Ricketts campaign event, the tracking game reached another level: Schaub had to use his dodging skills as well.
Ricketts was about to speak to a group of Minutemen, who actively oppose illegal immigration. Nelson was not there. Given the hot-button topic, the event at Omaha's downtown public library had the potential to get emotional.
When Schaub started taping, a member of the Ricketts campaign stood in front of the video camera to block his shot. The tracker maneuvered around the rear of the room, only to be followed by the blocker, who tried a few more times to put his hand in front of the lens.
The tracker-blocker dance began to get more conspicuous, and the blocker gave up.
"We shouldn't make their job of harassing Pete easy," said Jessica Moenning, Ricketts' campaign manager. "But no need to make a scene."
Nelson is scheduled to meet with the same Minutemen group today, but Nelson spokesman Jim Fagin said the session is private and will be held at Nelson's Omaha office.
Moenning said Ricketts supporters have gone to some Nelson events to distribute literature but don't shadow him with a video camera.
She said Schaub mostly is annoying with his constant presence. His actions can turn into harassment, she said, when he trails Ricketts and his family. "It's not really the spirit of what politics should be."
Yet Moenning and others on the staff know politics is tough, and they roll with the tracker's actions.
For example, Schaub initially was not welcomed by organizers of a Republican barbecue last spring, but ultimately he was offered a plate of food, Moenning said, and Ricketts supporters sat down to eat with him.
Republicans also have photographed Schaub, who has been around since the primary, to let volunteers know whom they're dealing with.
As for Ricketts, Carlton said he is basically "unaffected."
"Pete shakes Matt's hand and talks to him," she said.
'Tracker' dogs Senate candidate
BY CINDY GONZALEZ
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
He's become a big follower of U.S. Senate candidate Pete Ricketts, trailing the GOP hopeful to parades, picnics and statewide campaign stops.
And he isn't even a Republican.
Ricketts' campaign staff has nicknamed the tag-along "Matt Matt the Democrat."
In the political world, the young, mild-mannered Matt is known as a "tracker," a hired hand who doggedly pursues a candidate with video camera in tow, taping the candidate's moves and remarks for review by the opposing camp.
Both Democratic and Republican leaders say tracking is a tactic used routinely by many campaigns to look for inconsistencies and blunders.
"This is just a common practice these days where there are people on both sides tracking each other's movements and actions and words," said Marcia Cady, a spokeswoman for Ricketts' opponent, Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson.
The Nebraska Democratic Party confirmed that Matt Schaub is on its payroll as a tracker. Executive Director Barry Rubin said Schaub's purpose is mainly to record events organized by the competition.
Rubin's GOP counterpart, Tiffiny Carlton, said the Nebraska Republican Party does not employ any trackers, although Rubin and Cady say they have seen Republicans taping and following Democratic candidates.
"We have definitely seen Republican operatives at our events doing the same thing," Rubin said.
Atlhough tracking is not new, a tracker's tools today are easier to tote - and Internet advances, such as video-hosting site YouTube.com, allow material to be quickly launched into cyberspace.
Democrats say their tracker's recordings haven't turned up on any Web site that they know of. Rubin says they are used primarily for internal strategy, but he said the party wouldn't rule out another use.
At a recent Ricketts campaign event, the tracking game reached another level: Schaub had to use his dodging skills as well.
Ricketts was about to speak to a group of Minutemen, who actively oppose illegal immigration. Nelson was not there. Given the hot-button topic, the event at Omaha's downtown public library had the potential to get emotional.
When Schaub started taping, a member of the Ricketts campaign stood in front of the video camera to block his shot. The tracker maneuvered around the rear of the room, only to be followed by the blocker, who tried a few more times to put his hand in front of the lens.
The tracker-blocker dance began to get more conspicuous, and the blocker gave up.
"We shouldn't make their job of harassing Pete easy," said Jessica Moenning, Ricketts' campaign manager. "But no need to make a scene."
Nelson is scheduled to meet with the same Minutemen group today, but Nelson spokesman Jim Fagin said the session is private and will be held at Nelson's Omaha office.
Moenning said Ricketts supporters have gone to some Nelson events to distribute literature but don't shadow him with a video camera.
She said Schaub mostly is annoying with his constant presence. His actions can turn into harassment, she said, when he trails Ricketts and his family. "It's not really the spirit of what politics should be."
Yet Moenning and others on the staff know politics is tough, and they roll with the tracker's actions.
For example, Schaub initially was not welcomed by organizers of a Republican barbecue last spring, but ultimately he was offered a plate of food, Moenning said, and Ricketts supporters sat down to eat with him.
Republicans also have photographed Schaub, who has been around since the primary, to let volunteers know whom they're dealing with.
As for Ricketts, Carlton said he is basically "unaffected."
"Pete shakes Matt's hand and talks to him," she said.