Sunday, April 10, 2016

[UPDATE] More "secret meetings" and 'murky' meals! Seriously, are those ridiculous Post editorials a team effort or one rogue editor?

[UPDATE: Should the public demand higher quality (properly researched) editorials from The Palm Beach Post? The silly one published in print on Saturday, April 9th, is the perfect example of a low quality editorial and for some reason it's still not available for their online readership as of 7:30 Monday morning. Why would that be? Anyhow, the reaction around Lake Worth is one of comedic laughter, an increase in interest about recipes, with a mix of disbelief at how petty the Post editor(s) can be. The editorial was a waste of print space.

You don't have to be a rocket scientist, or even a soil scientist, to see through the hypocrisy of that editorial. All McVoy has to do is show up and have some ziti or meatloaf with his fellow elected's. But he won't. It's the silly issue he holding onto like one possessed. And also note the editorial states that elected officials having meals together is not improper in any way. Then why write it in the first place? Except if the intention is to try and form, or mold, public opinion. Is that proper or ethical for an editor to do?

Anyhow, continue reading how the Post is trying to create an issue ("Wag the Dog") along with trying to give Lake Worth Commissioner Chris McVoy some political cover heading into his (maybe) campaign for re-election:]

First, Commissioner Chris McVoy has yet to answer this challenge made on this blog on March 18th. The Palm Beach Post is clearly trying to throw McVoy a lifeline; if you didn't know he's up for re-election and you can read about that in the right-hand column of this blog, near the top.

If you have any awareness of the goings-on of Lake Worth politics, you are no doubt aware of the meme 'secret meetings'. These secret meetings are really the worst kept secret in Lake Worth since everyone has heard of them.* During this last election, the losing side clung to claims about secret meetings during the Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) process. With the ITN process, we even eventually found out exactly what went on during those meetings. No secrets there.

And now the Post gets to regurgitate the 'meals before meetings' issue. Both of these non-issue issues were raised during the last election cycle. McVoy, who initially participated in the meal program, suddenly got indigestion and decided he wouldn't participate anymore due to perceived impropriety due to possible violations of the Sunshine Law. Complete nonsense brought up two times, conveniently in the weeks prior to an election.

The tactic worked in 2015. The second time it backfired in spectacular fashion on McVoy and his favorite candidates, including the Anarchist Ryan Hartman.

In the Saturday (4/9) print edition of the Post, we are given seconds and thirds of the "secret meals" story. These have to be the most talked about secret meetings, ever. McVoy and the "leaders from headquarters" like to put the opposition in a position where they have to prove something didn't happen during these meetings. That is called trying to prove a negative, which is an age old political ploy that's rolled out when nothing else works or you have little to show for your time in office.

Here's how it works: Raise the specter of misdeeds, but choose things that are impossible to prove, either true or false. Have friends in the press "raise the question" to try and create public suspicion. There was a famous movie about this tactic, Wag the Dog.

Note that these claims are being made by the same person, Commissioner McVoy, PhD, you can watch in the video in the blog post below (or watch using this link).

*The "secret meetings" tactic was also employed recently against the Cultural Council of the Palm Beaches too. Interestingly, the council is also located in downtown Lake Worth. Just worth noting.