From EDITOR back to REPORTER: El Paso Times Editor goes ROGUE to Report Voting SURGE!! (?)

The El Paso Times Editor Bob Moore has decided to go “reporter” and he personally posted an article he wrote for the newspaper. Awwww how special!  

He calls the 2012 Early Vote a “surge” in his headline: “Early voting surges 47%: Democratic congressional primary draws the most attention”.  Que cute! 

I mean really, where was he in 2008 when the TSUNAMI hit El Paso the election year that the “PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY” reported a RECORD Democratic turn-out and there was MINIMAL REPUBLICAN crossover vote.  Why?  Because the R’s were in their own McCain Primary, happily awaiting ringside for the Demo’s to duke it out and determine who would finally be the Democratic Nominee for President.  The 2008 Primary Election in Texas was not just a SURGE it was a literal Tsunami not just here in El Paso but across the nation (do you remember that election Bob?  Have you ever voted in a Democratic Primary?).

I was uniquely involved in that campaign as I was the first Latina in the state (the first elected official in the state and I believe the first Latino elected official in the nation) endorsing President Barack Obama (then just a US Senator and candidate for president).  It was a tough place to be considering that El Paso, Texas, the largest international Border City with Mexico in the nation, is/was a CLINTON TOWN!! 

Precinct Conventions in every precinct in El Paso reported real SURGES in voter turnout where dozens of people, in fact some precincts recorded over 100 participants (as was my personal Precinct), in Precincts where normally 1 or 2 people show up at the Precinct Convention. So this year’s turnout is to be expected and not really a SURGE from last year.  And this SURGE in voter turnout is not “headline” news Bob, it is very common.  It is what political consultants distinguish between turnout for a “gubernatorial” year or “presidential” year and consultants adjust projections based on these very different Primary years.  These are simple terms Bob you should learn for next Primary when it will be a “gubernatorial” year and a substantially lower voter turnout year.

I don’t know that I like your “rogue” methods going from “Editor” and back to “reporter” in this particular election.  It doesn’t speak well of your reporters and may cause readers to see this as your lack of trust of their journalistic capacity. Or it can be interpreted as your reporter’s “mutiny” to your rogue methods of serving as managing editor and injecting yourself as “reporter for the day” when you see fit. It is very interesting to watch and read, to say the least.

I don’t recall Tom Fenton, Don Flores or Chris Lopez as “Editors” EVER writing a story in the El Paso Times as the “reporter” much less a story in a partisan political race.  You have clearly demonstrated your insistence of putting tabloid reporting methods first in order to sell newspapers and you have demonstrated your lack of neutrality in the 16^th Congressional race.  This is very unfortunate for your readership but I am sure you will have your colleagues nominate you for awards to cover your very exposed nalgas!

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