The Green Miles has now been to two "blogger dinners" hosted by Democratic candidates in the Virginia governor's race. One was hosted by Terry McAuliffe, the other by Brian Moran. I went to Terry's because I wanted to hear him make his case for his candidacy. I went to Brian's because if the primary was held today, I'd vote for him.
Some bloggers who attend these dinners claim they have absolutely no impact on their objectivity. These blogger dinners are no different than reporters riding John McCain's tire swing. You may not think you're giving up your objectivity, but in this case, as The Rock might say, it doesn't matter what you think. It's perception that matters.
Me? I'll happily own up to being in the tank for all of the Democratic candidates for governor. While I may support Brian because he's the best of the three Democrats environmentally, no matter who the nominee is, he'll be vastly better on environmental issues than presumptive Republican nominee Bob "Drill, Baby, Drill" McDonnell.
I've declined to participate in such events that I've been invited to during the last few election cycles. I'm just not comfortable with them. Certainly I wouldn't claim to be objective—I'm a Democrat and I support Democrats—but within that framework of subjectivity, I would like to be objective. Maybe it's a token gesture, but I'll be having my dinners at home.
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