Washington Watch for Aug. 17, 2008

• By GERARD SHIELDS
• Advocate Washington correspondent
• Published: Aug 17, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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They are called “trackers” and they have become a staple — maybe a dangerous one for candidates — of 21st century political campaigning.

Also known as the “political paparazzi,” the paid party employees go to the public events of opponents and record their every comment and action, putting the clips instantly on the Internet through YouTube.

The use of trackers is a factor in the U.S. Senate campaigns of incumbent Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and her opponent, Republican state Treasurer John Kennedy.

Working through the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the Kennedy tracker has visibly agitated Landrieu. A few months back, a state marshal removed the GOP cameraman from a Shreveport political event supporting Landrieu.

Protesting as he showed video of the floor while exiting, the Kennedy tracker is told that the event was a private one for Landrieu supporters, who received invitations.

In another video, Landrieu tangles with a Republican tracker filming her at an outdoor event. Noticing the cameraman, Landrieu asks him “Do you need a picture of me?” The cameraman replies: “No I’m fine.”

Landrieu then begins walking over to the camera, shielding her eyes from the sun and asks: “Who are you with? ... Who are you with?”

Realizing the cameraman is a tracker, she asks him to turn his camera off and to “get it out of my face.” The camera is then jostled.

Kennedy has been the subject of Democratic trackers too. 

Earlier in the campaign, a Democratic operative took a picture in which about two dozen people were at a Kennedy “rally.” The picture embarrassingly showed that the huge ballroom where the event was held was vastly empty under a “Kennedy for Senate” sign.

Last week, a video surfaced showing Democrats standing outside a Kennedy event handing out literature to unsuspecting supporters. The material was from Kennedy’s 2004 Democratic state campaign, including “John Kennedy Democrat for Senate” stickers. Kennedy switched last year to become a Republican.

Video taken inside the event shows Kennedy asking a supporter to “take it off … take it off” referring to the sticker. “Read it,” Kennedy says to the confused backer.

“Technology makes it a lot easier and it’s relatively cheap,” John Samples, director of representative government for the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, said of tracking. “Mostly they let the candidates hang themselves.”