In the latest ill-advised move from MD GOP HQ, the party appartus put out the following presss advisory to instruct members of the media on credentialing for the upcoming State Convention this weekend and subsequent events.
The Baltimore Sun released the memo, which fellow blogger extraordinaire Joseph Steffen posted online this afternoon. This is an excerpt from the memo that I found intriguing...
"MARYLAND REPUBLICAN PARTY will not allow journalists to register as “media” for the purpose of writing a personal online blog, or for persons whose news outlet is funded by a corporation; trade association; think-tank; public relations or marketing company/firm; individual; political candidate/party; or activist/lobbying organization. These individuals may still attend MARYLAND REPUBLICAN PARTY’s meetings, but must register as an association, lobbying group or individual and pay the corresponding registration fees."
Reading the tea leaves is something of a hobby for me, and while I have gotten some wrong, I am willing to place a significant wager in the "Trading Places" neighborhood on a possible reason for this press embargo.
Over the past several weeks, several bloggers who have been questioning decisions made by MD GOP insiders have been supportive of one of the challengers to the status quo, Red Maryland founder Greg Kline. Could this be vehicle to keep out anti-Waterman media sentiment off of the Convention floor?
I knew that this Convention would not be boring, and possibly even worth the $75 to pay for a credential... now, it might have the capability to turn into a civil war for the future direction of the Republican Party in Maryland.
Very interesting indeed. Too bad, might have to smuggle in reporters to get balanced coverage behind the Waterman Curtain.
