Why didn’t MAPE filmthe proceedings?
Representatives from MAPE met with many of the candidates seeking our endorsement at their request. Every one of those candidates was informed about our endorsement process and our interest in holding a political conference. A few of the candidates we met with expressed that they preferred not to be filmed. In recent years, clips such as these have become fodder for negative ads, when out-of-context comments are used by opponents to create false attacks. Moreover, much of the screening was done in a round table setting; making it very difficult to film. Why was the round table format chosen? When representatives of MAPE met with the candidates prior to our screenings, this round-table discussions were the preferred format expressed by those candidates. No candidate objected to the format. Was the endorsement orchestrated and predetermined by staff? No it was not. Staff put together a factual summary of all the present candidates, answered questions and facilitated discussion. The endor
