August 10, 2002

3:48 PM

Tipper Gore's Ticket TangleSeems the reported Gore hustle to get freebies for the Springsteen concernt just one more piece of nonsense to discredit the guy. Ah, so early and things heating up.
posted by Postroad (31 comments total)

You know that it's a slow weekend when something like that makes the rounds. It's a safe world with minor misunderstandings.
posted by neu at 4:13 PM on August 10, 2002

VIP tries to get tickets to a popular show. VIP didn't really try to get tickets to a popular show. VIP's detractors try to make story out of it. Politicians lie.

Who cares? Is it slow news link day?
posted by eyeballkid at 4:16 PM on August 10, 2002

Why is it that the most obviously irrelevant shite about Democrats gets play for days and days? While, in other news, the administration just tore up the bills of rights...

Must be the liberal press.
posted by goethean at 4:18 PM on August 10, 2002

Man, its Tipper Gore. Who in the music industry is going to do her a favor?

"The PMRC lady wants free tickets? Hahahaha."
posted by skallas at 4:19 PM on August 10, 2002

Strictly business .... she wanted to slap a warning label on the Boss
A quiet afternoon, an empty house
On the edge of your bed you slip off your blouse
The room is burning with the noon sun
Your bittersweet taste on my tongue
The fuse is burning
(Shut out the lights)
The fuse is burning
(Come on let me do you right)
posted by ElvisJesus at 4:31 PM on August 10, 2002

The story has the Drudge stink about it.
posted by wiinga at 4:42 PM on August 10, 2002

Also worth noting...
Media Whores Online's parody of the 'scandal'
posted by Dirjy at 4:43 PM on August 10, 2002

Obviously, no one really bothered to read the entire link.

The attempt to obtain complimentary tickets took place last week, and the tickets were bought this Tuesday. Here is my take on it; realizing that this was going to be a news item (sadly), the Gore camp ponied up the cash to buy a few tickets, as a way of deflecting criticism.

But really...who cares?
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 5:24 PM on August 10, 2002

Being that I'm friends with Lisa & Jano, the aides mentioned in the story, I think I'll side with the Gore camp.

StrangerInAStrainedLand....why would we try to "cover up" a non-story? Why would we bother putting so much energy into it? Isn't it also possible that they bought tickets because...*gasp!*...she wanted to go?
posted by jennak at 5:32 PM on August 10, 2002

jennak, not only is it possible that they bought tickets because they wanted to go, but it is highly likely. But it is also a fact that they tried to get free tickets by using Gore's name, which in my opinion is pathetic considering that these are the very people who raise the "defender of the people" banner that is so essential to their political platform.

If it is such a non-issue, ask Jano why he spent so much time trying to knock it down.
posted by StrangerInAStrainedLand at 5:46 PM on August 10, 2002

It's a non-issue because rich and famous people do that all the time. "Hey, I'm famous... comp me!" Duh.
posted by MegoSteve at 7:24 PM on August 10, 2002

I don't blame them at all for trying to use the VIP tactic. Cynics will say its looks like they're using status and class. Quite frankly, I think anyone who tries to get free tickets to a $75 each concert is just normal. Who here wouldn't? In the end it didn't work. Whether its because of Tipper's insane crusades against the music industry (but that's another story...) or because they simply didn't want to is beside the point.

The fact that they eventually paid for the tickets is, of course, ignored, regardless of the reason.

I feel bad for this guy.
posted by morningbit at 7:31 PM on August 10, 2002

Ironically, Postroad, I guess we can all thank you for making a post to tell all the people who never heard the original story that the original story was false, so now we can all talk about how we feel if the original story and the story talking about how it was false was false and false, respectively.

Wow. Blood just shot out of my nose.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 7:34 PM on August 10, 2002

It's a non-issue because rich and famous people do that all the time. "Hey, I'm famous... comp me!" Duh.

Celebrities, yes. But shouldn't elected officials and those who wish to become elected officials (do we have any doubt about '04 remaining?) hold themselves to a higher standard? Shouldn't there be a consideration of not accepting (let alone seeking out) freebies and gifts that are given solely because they're a name entity so as to never give rise to allegations of graft, favour buying, corruption, etc. I don't know "I never accepted anything, well, except some tickets to a concert by the Boss!" doesn't quite have the same ring of trustworthiness as "I never accepted anything, ever, period."
posted by Dreama at 8:12 PM on August 10, 2002

Did I miss some big news stories today? I looked all over CNN to find out how we won the war on terrorism, resolved our differences amicably with Iraq, brokered a lasting peace in the Middle East and curbed the ongoing erosion of civil liberties in the U.S., which clearly must have taken place for this ridiculous Gore story to be news.
posted by rcade at 8:48 PM on August 10, 2002

But shouldn't elected officials and those who wish to become elected officials hold themselves to a higher standard?

Not if it's an unreasonable standard, no.
posted by MegoSteve at 8:52 PM on August 10, 2002

What's unreasonable about buying your own tickets for $75 if you want to listen to a concert?
posted by neu at 9:25 PM on August 10, 2002

Seems the reported Gore hustle to get freebies for the Springsteen concernt just one more piece of nonsense to discredit the guy.

How do you figure that? The linked article states,
But Friedman told us that after Cabrera phoned his editors to demand a correction, he checked back with his source, "who instead of getting all nervous, dug in his heels." Friedman added: "I stand by the story. I voted for Gore. I'm probably the only registered Democrat at Fox News. But I can't let that cloud my judgment."

So, while the Gore folks are claiming it's not true (gee, what a surprise), Friedman insists the story is accurate. Oh, but the Gore folks would never lie, is that it?

It may in fact be a load of crap, but nothing in the article demonstrates that, and Friedman's quote suggests otherwise.
posted by Ayn Marx at 9:37 PM on August 10, 2002

What's unreasonable about buying your own tickets for $75 if you want to listen to a concert?


What's reasonable about spending $75 for tickets if there's a shot you can get them for free?
posted by dchase at 9:59 PM on August 10, 2002

But shouldn't elected officials and those who wish to become elected officials (do we have any doubt about '04 remaining?) hold themselves to a higher standard?

Why? How is getting comps such a moral issue? It's not uncommon people in that field to get such a thing. They come to expect it and are insulted if they are not offered. It's part of the game.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:20 PM on August 10, 2002

The thing that fascinates me about this is that it's gossip. It appeared in a gossip column. There is a 100% lack of evidence. The likelihood of it being true are as likely as any gossip being true. The reason it showed up in the gossip column is that it's unprovable, and likely made up. Until the "anonymous source" doesn't want to come forward and announce themselves, then I'll consider the whole thing a big lie, which is how I treat all gossip. People who believe the story want to believe it, which says more about them than it does about Gore or Tipper.
posted by eustacescrubb at 10:36 PM on August 10, 2002

Woah. I should go to bed. Major grammar errors. Apologies. That should read: "Until the "anonymous source" comes forward and announces ... "

Bed time.
posted by eustacescrubb at 10:38 PM on August 10, 2002

Dreama, I really got to say that I buy your argument on this. I would be greatly impressed with a pol who said they had never taken anything ever. If accepting $75 concert tickets is tolerable, then how about a $150 dollar comped meal at a restaraunt? How about a $300 hotel room? $600 airline ticket? Etc. etc. Where do you draw the line?
posted by vito90 at 2:09 AM on August 11, 2002

Not only is there the question of how to decide what is and isn't acceptable once you say that something is, there is the very important question of what happens when there is a connection between the giver of a freebie and a piece of legislation that lands on that elected official's desk?

Can we trust a president -- this is speaking generally -- who personally takes concert comps from recording artists to be as objective as he ought to be with a bill about copyright, or file trading or the power of the RIAA? Wouldn't our view of the signing or veto of an airline bailout or a air passengers' "bill of rights" be tainted if it came to light that the person weilding the pen routinely flew gratis?

It just seems to me that if you are aspiring to the highest office in the land, you would make it your business to avoid anything which could come back to you in a manner which could call your integrity as a leader into question. Obviously, there are some things that are beyond one's control. But in the case of $150 worth of concert tickets desired by a millionaire, the only thing beyond his control is where in the house he'll end up sitting when he pulls out his Visa and calls up TicketBastard just like everyone else.
posted by Dreama at 3:01 AM on August 11, 2002

I think it's charmingly quaint to believe that a few discounted concert tickets could turn the head of a president. Don't you think your concern is better placed on the millions given to presidential candidates to get them into office, rather than things like a free ZZ Top hat that retails for $19.99?
posted by rcade at 6:58 AM on August 11, 2002

Al Gore currently holds no office and wields no influence. How it is a news item that a private citizen asked for some free tickets is beyond me.

The whole "higher standard" thing does not hold water because he is not in office, and is not currently announced as any kind of candidate.

Should Gore be in the news again next weekend if Tipper uses a "buy one get one free" coupon for Bounty paper towels at the supermarket? THEY SHOULD BE ABOVE REPROACH!!!!!!!

Some people....
posted by Ynoxas at 8:59 AM on August 11, 2002

I'm sure in some dream world it would be advisable to shun any freebies or anything remotely smacking of impropriety but really, these are concert tickets. It's not like someone was slipped an envelope with a stack of Benjamins. I previously worked with a very high profile candidate and this went on all the time, getting freebies and whatnot. It's the norm and not the big hoo-ha that this gossip columnist makes it out to be.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 2:56 PM on August 11, 2002

Kevin, exactly the point. We agree that a couple freebie tickets is no big deal. You say a stack of Benjamins would be a big deal. So where is your tipping point? Once you start making value judgements on what constitutes a big deal and what doesn't you're in dangerous territory.
posted by vito90 at 6:04 PM on August 11, 2002

I thought the gossip item said Al Gore didn't go to the show and didn't want to go to the show. What's this got to do with Al?
If Al had stepped in and told his wife and her friends not to request comp tickets, and word got out about that, people would complain that Al Gore is a control freak and thus unworthy of office.
On one hand, some people complain about a guy whose wife might or might not have requested complimentary tickets to a concert. On the other hand, the same people don't object that the current occupant of the White House stole a national election. In fact, they deny that such a theft took place. Morality indeed!
posted by Holden at 6:51 PM on August 11, 2002

Well believe it or not vito90, not all politicians blindly take things that are offered to them. They are not stupid in this respect and they "pick their spots". Even a garden slug can smell the impropriety in a stack of hundreds. The good ones see the difference. The stupid ones end up the subject of gossip columnists.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 7:35 AM on August 12, 2002

jennak, not only is it possible that they bought tickets because they wanted to go, but it is highly likely. But it is also a fact that they tried to get free tickets by using Gore's name, which in my opinion is pathetic considering that these are the very people who raise the "defender of the people" banner that is so essential to their political platform.

If it is such a non-issue, ask Jano why he spent so much time trying to knock it down.

It is also a fact?....Wait, there's no evidence of the facts that Fox insists upon, whereas Gore staff have an email supporting their story.

Jano knocked the story down because (a) it's his job (b) because stupid people salivate over non-issues like this and always assume the worst when it comes to Clinton/Gore. Yes, we're always trying to scam, always deviant and full of worst intentions....
posted by jennak at 2:20 PM on August 29, 2002