If Leigh Greden can cash out his chips at his final Council meeting by talking about the elephant that “lives in his room,” I thought A2Politico might do the same. I have to say that when I launched this blog, I thought about doing it several different ways. I ended up doing some research on blogging, and settled on the format you know and love (or hate). One aspect of the blog I never waffled on was whether I would do it anonymously. The reason for this was quite simple: The current Mayor and long-time politicos such as Leigh Greden, Stephen Rapundalo, Margie Teall and Marcia Higgins (those whom Arbor Bewing Company owner Rene Greff referred to as a “cabal” in her interview with A2Politico), have a singular tactic to deal with dissent. It is to attack the character, intelligence and/or intent of the individual making the political waves.
Evidence Sabra Briere’s Golden Vomit award from Leigh Greden, announced via email to the rest of his Council pals (though not to Briere, of course), as well as constant references among those same Council members to Fifth Ward Council member Mike Anglin (who holds a graduate degree in Education) in their emails to each other as “the moron.” Thus, any political dissent becomes subsumed by an insanely twisted psycho-social dynamic present among those on City Council. Put simply, those endorsed by Hieftje and elected to lead in August of 2008 quickly became followers, and adopted the tactic of assassinating the character of those unwilling to agree with them. In a small town with a pliant Press, it turned out to be a particularly successful strategy. It was by no means a strategy limited to the current Council members. Former Council member and now Judge Christopher Easthope and former Council member Joan Lowenstein were both revealed through FOIAed emails to have participated in similar behavior.
So when I pondered the best way to keep the focus on the political issues and debates, as opposed to having the conversation routinely maneuvered around to be about who was bringing up the issues, anonymity was the obvious answer.
I get emails every so often from people convinced they know who writes A2Politico. I get emails from people who think the blog would be more credible if signed it. I get emails from people who promise never to tell another living soul if I’ll just tell them who I am. I’ve heard a certain County Commissioner has used her formidable psychic powers to figure out who’s holding her sensible pumps, and the feet in them, to the fire. Heavy nips of cooking sherry can lead some people to believe they’re omniscient narrators in the book of life.
Really, it’s primarily the politicos who are having the worst time with the anonymity of the blog. There were a couple of readers who objected, and posted comments about it here.
I have concluded that the fact the blog is unsigned is even more difficult for some of the politicos to deal with than the actual issues that find their way into the posts. One person who commented recently referred to as A2Politico as a blog “without a conscience” for “ripping” into people. Alas, the poster misses the point, I think. Here’s a Wikipedia definition of political satire: “Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly forbidden.”
A2P is definitely out to loosten the death grip the current Mayor and Council have on the political news, information and spin that leak out from the depths of City Hall. After years of watching the Ann Arbor News writers cover politics with little zeal, I became convinced that satire was going to be the most effective way to blog about the local political scene. Why? Well, partially because of just how brazen Mayor and Council members can be in their attempts to convince the people of Ann Arbor that snagging 500 votes in a two-person primary, then getting 2,000 votes in an uncontested November election, give them a “mandate” to rule the roost anyway they see fit.
The bottom line, actually, is that local politicos are consistently saying and doing things that one would refer to as incidents in which life is stranger than fiction.
Take, for instance, the behavior of Margie Teall at the Council meeting linked to above. Holding back tears, Teall looks longingly at Greden and tells all present, “It’s been a wonderful six years. Your constituent services were unsurpassed, you are smart, and you are smart enough to get us all in trouble.” Get us all in trouble? In trouble?
Evidently, these days “getting into trouble” is what we’re calling lawsuits filed against the City as a result of Teall’s mid-meeting emails to Greden and other Council members discussing the library lot underground parking garage. I can’t wait to see how Margie T. refers to being deposed by opposing counsel. “A sticky wicket?” What euphemism will the Fourth Ward’s teary-eyed one use to describe testifying in open court when the lawsuit over her emails goes to trial? “Sit-down comedy?”
Well, now that I’ve brought up the African elephant, feel free to let me know what you think about A2Politico and how it’s written. Someone this weekend will post the 700th comment. As I posted to another thread, I have been consistently amazed by the focus on the issues people who’re visiting the site bring to the discussions here. Thanks.
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I just found this blog, and I like it a lot. I have read some daily kos posts too. I think you play an important role, a subversive fifth estate role. I haven’t watched enough city politics, I just have begun to notice the problems after my road spent several days not salted or last winter, and we will no longer drive over the Stadium Bridge. And then there’s Georgetown, and the emails, and the time the Sierra Club wouldn’t support Heiftje over trees…
Comment by rose — November 7, 2009 @ 3:37 pm
Franky my dear, I don’t give a damn who you are. I like what you do and it’s the people I DO know–the mayor, members of council, several members of local boards, et. al.–that I have a problem with. It’s about time sarcasm, intelligent sarcasm backed with facts, was used as a weapon against bad political decisions. If I want to read 17,000 words on how wide the alley is next to the library or why Judy McGoven can’t get an interview and got a morality transplant now that she’s left the Ann Arbor News there are sources for that. While the AnnArbor.com is getting better and I applaud their series of articles on poverty today, they don’t and can’t do what you’re doing. So keep up the good work.
Comment by Alan Goldsmith — November 8, 2009 @ 7:32 am
I was tempted to take credit for creating this blog and invite everyone who replies to do the same but I am guessing some people wouldn’t get the subtle sarcasm…lol.
Comment by Alan Goldsmith — November 8, 2009 @ 7:34 am
Several paragraphs condemning the character assassination tactics of local politicians, and then an implication that one of them is a clandestine alcoholic who resorts to drinking cooking sherry. A beautiful exercise in self-awareness.
Comment by Facepalm — November 8, 2009 @ 11:14 am
I have no idea if any of our local politicos drink cooking sherry. I used to work in the kitchen of a very fancy club where the chef did, and it caused all kinds of havoc. I do, however, know that one local politico is convinced s/he has guessed the identity of the blogger. How does the politico know? I attribute it to psychic ability or cooking sherry. My guess is as good as that of the politico’s, I suppose.
Comment by A2 Politico — November 8, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
This is a great weblog, the best thing since AAIO went away. I applaud your anonymity, your pithy writing, your irreverent stance. Somebody needs to take apart the Mayor and Council. Please feel free to broaden your horizons to include the county commissioners and school board as well.
Comment by digs — November 8, 2009 @ 2:55 pm
You have no idea if any of our local politico’s drink cooking sherry, but you’re perfectly willing to imply that one of them does. You’re clearly smart enough to see the hypocrisy in writing that in a post condemning character assassination tactics, so I can only assume that your handwaving indicates either contempt for your readers or no desire to be taken seriously.
Comment by Facepalm — November 8, 2009 @ 7:06 pm
The cooking sherry comment didn’t bother me in the least. I think you may be missing the point of the allusion. Since I began reading this blog I’ve seen some seriously funny writing, welcome lampooning of political grandstanding and hypocrisy, and wicked satire, but I have never seen a post here that one would say shows contempt for the readers. Quite the opposite.
Comment by Yale89 — November 8, 2009 @ 7:58 pm
As far as I can tell our intrepid author is insinuating that the county commissioner is a clandestine alcoholic. The cooking sherry gag has a long history of insinuating exactly that. What allusion am I missing?
As for satire, I don’t see any in this post. To me, it looks like a pretty straightforward condemnation of the behavior of certain group of people by the author who then engages in the exact same behavior. A real knee-slapper for sure.
Comment by Facepalm — November 8, 2009 @ 9:27 pm
Clandestine is an interesting choice of words. Sorry to burst your bubble. It’s an open “secret.” I’m not sure whether A2Politico knew or knows, or was just making a remark about how the CC “knows” who writes this blog, but clandestine the nipping is not.
Comment by A2Dem — November 8, 2009 @ 9:39 pm
A2Dem, you posted the 700th comment on the A2Politico blog. Congratulations and thanks for frittering away your time reading the A2P.
Comment by A2 Politico — November 8, 2009 @ 9:51 pm
Facepalm, I see your point and yes, the cooking sherry is a classic gag. It’s a cliché. Explaining the why behind writing means the writing missed its mark, as this post obviously did with you. Others had different reactions. That doesn’t change my intent or your reaction. Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
Comment by A2 Politico — November 8, 2009 @ 9:56 pm
I don’t think that I missed the point of this post at all. In fact, I think that I got it loud and clear: it’s great fun to call out the behavior of others and then have a good snicker over getting away with the same thing yourself. Assuming that you knew that the county commissioner in question does have an actual problem with alcohol, it’s actually kind of despicable.
Comment by Facepalm — November 8, 2009 @ 10:37 pm
Facepalm, read more carefully. A2Politico didn’t write anything about the commissioner. A2Dem did. However, the discussion has drifted into a debate about whether or not some cc has a problem with booze. Who cares? In fact FP is doing exactly what A2Politico describes in the blog entry—moving the discussion from the issues to the character of the person bringing up the issues. If a cc is out there telling people she knows who’s writing the blog and she doesn’t she’s just spreading lies. So is she doing it because she’s a chronic liar, or because she needs to lay off the sherry. Is FP morally outraged or is FP just trolling around trying to hijack the thread?
The agenda of the blogger is clear. FP’s is far from it. We know why A2P wants to remain anonymous. How about you FP? Why the screen name?
Comment by Robert C. Smith — November 8, 2009 @ 11:24 pm
I know someone personally who tried parody, in an “identity correction” website a la Yes Men, also initially anonymously, in an attempt to call attention to the ineptitude, mismanagement, and corruption in the AAPS. Since said school administration was willing to waste even more of the taxpayers’ money throwing their $400+ per hour lawyers at the obvious satire to make clear that not only did they lack a sense of humor, but also that they seriously meant business, he was forced to shut down the obvious parody. His hosting company caved and outed him. Some people just can’t take a joke though they be jokes.
I very, very much appreciate this blog and your work exposing the hypocracy and lies to a community we can only hope will wake up soon. I also appreciate the nature of your work. It has a long and respected tradition. Keep it up. Keep it anonymous as you wish. All the best.
Comment by Friend of a friend — November 8, 2009 @ 11:42 pm
Robert C. Smith, *you* should read more carefully – I wrote “assuming” for a specific reason.
What “issues” am I trying to move the discussion away from? I don’t see any issues being discussed in this post.
I’m neither outraged nor trolling. I think that this is an interesting, well-written and potentially useful blog, but I also think that being snarky and self-congratulatory greatly reduces the chances of it being anything other than cyber circle jerk.
Comment by Facepalm — November 9, 2009 @ 12:16 am
I have the distinct impression that the emails during Council were a cyber circle. This discussion at least is open to the public.
Comment by Friend of a friend — November 9, 2009 @ 8:16 am
#3 I get it! And I’ll jump in with a resounding “I am Spartacus!”
Comment by RunsWithScissors — November 9, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
Strange, I see a most important issue being discussed in this post. Is it not obvious? The main point is about why one might make a deliberate decision to employ anonymity precisely in order to stick to issues, because of ad hominem “arguments” used by those who avoid dealing with … issues. And if the tidbit of counter-ad-hominem-au-vin didn’t make it obvious, perhaps there is no hope in getting through.
Comment by Friend of a friend — November 10, 2009 @ 8:02 am
I’ve been away for a while and I missed alot!! WOW! Lots of comments to catch up on. I can see Facepalms point, but really don’t we all want to know the secret identity of the superhero? Secret identities are mysterious and humans are curious. I can understand the need for A2Politico to remain anonymous, but I can also understand how it might seem simply a way to hide, as opposed to a political statement and strategy to keep the discussions focused on the issues.
Comment by lighthouse — November 10, 2009 @ 4:32 pm
Here’s a link if you’re interested in a little political satire: http://www.cancelchristmas.us
Comment by Betty — November 11, 2009 @ 12:10 am
Ann Arbor doesn’t do satire. This town is suffering from a serious deficit of funnybone. Then there is the problem with history. All this fuss about anonymity. Mark Twain and Voltaire were hypocrites for using a pen name? The identity of a2politico may be a secret everybody knows, but this doesn’t require the satirist to molt the nom de plume. Ann Arbor’s ayatollahs of niceness mostly object to satire because 1) they don’t get it and 2) they are enthralled with the powerful (even the petit pouvoirs of Washtenaw county). I’ve noticed that sarcasm, which is principally employed to ridicule the weak, does not usually stir them (hence the calls to forgive and reelect the email-gate 8).
Ann Arbor is a small town and it is not easy to criticize people one knows or to hear criticism of a friend. But the fact that we know the people who are pulling the levers behind the curtain only increases our awareness that power is corrupting the political process. Satire is a time proven weapon against the abuse of power.
Comment by Lou Glorie — November 11, 2009 @ 10:53 am
@22 I agree completely that Ann Arbor doesn’t do satire. It’s a town where people take themselves too seriously to appreciate the finer points of the political lampoon. Then again, there are lots of academics who are used to being treated like royalty (God Save the Dean). Hmm…maybe there needs to be an A2Politico who focuses on the university community? There’s a lot of good material at U of M. Thanks to A2P for having the smarts and tenacity to take on the Dem establishment and to do it in a way that does I think make us focus on the issues rather than the identity and motives of the writer. Frankly, the motives of A2P are crystal clear.
Comment by Robert Smith — December 16, 2009 @ 9:52 am
If I had a dime for every time I came here… Incredible writing.
Comment by Jackson Hope — May 31, 2010 @ 4:06 pm