Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy

Analysis:

This brief piece from the Grand Rapids Press comes from the Press’ “Polpourri” section, an area of the Sunday paper described on the Grand Rapids Press’ website as containing “political tidbits.” These are most often paragraph long pieces written in a tone that tends to trivialize the issues at hand.

In this case, the Press mentions that Representative Vernon Ehlers is being targeted by an unnamed “liberal advocacy group” working to convince Ehlers not to support an invasion with Iran. Would it have been helpful if the group was identified? In the discussion of Ehlers and Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, the article is ambiguously worded and could be read to say that Ehlers was successfully pressured to “change his stance” although that did not happen and Ehlers has remained supportive of the war. Also, the Press does not include anything about Ehlers’ voting record on Iraq.

Story:

First, U.S. Rep. Vern Ehlers was targeted by an anti-war group called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. They pressured Ehlers to change his stance on the war, part of a national campaign focused on select members of Congress. Now, another liberal advocacy group is dialing up residents and urging them to demand Ehlers stop the Bush administration from going to war with Iran. Ehlers said he can spare them the effort. “There is no way I want to go to war with Iran. There is probably nothing to be gained by us attacking Iran.”

Analysis:

This story briefly discusses Thursday’s opening of deer hunting season. The story cites some statistics from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources on deer population, but then talks about the latest hunting products. Is there any news value in this story or is it essentially just free advertising for hunting products?

Story:

Michigan’s Fire Arms Deer Season starts at sunrise on Thursday.

The state estimates 735,000 hunters will spend time in the woods this year. Those hunters are expected to spend $500-million in the state before and during the season.

Many of them will start their preparations this weekend going to sporting goods stores to search for the newest gear.

Dalen Tobey says when he started hunting 57 years ago all it took was a gun, ammunition and some patience.

Mike Byrnes only needed a simple lens cover to be completely ready for next week.

Gary Foster’s says at his store, most customers just need the little extras. However some hunters need to have a little bit more.

At the Jenison store, Nate Geents says digital game cameras are a hot item. They help a hunter know where to set up and wait.

The chance of killing a deer is now greater with the newest shotgun slugs.

A new personal vacuum pump keeps a phone, ammo, or snacks dry.

However, getting a deer will still require luck and that’s something you can’t get from a store.

The DNR says there are more than 1.6 million white-tailed deer statewide. Most southwest Michigan counties have above average deer populations. The DNR lists Kent, Barry, and Calhoun Counties as having “very high” numbers.

Hunters should kill around 450,000 deer statewide this season.

Analysis:

This article is based upon the recent announcement by TV Evangelist and media owner Pat Robertson, that he has endorsed GOP candidate Rudy Giuliani for President. The Grand Rapids Press version of the Associated Press story has as a sub-heading “Right-wing backing for socially liberal candidate comes out of left field.” What does the subheading mean by the term “socially liberal?” Does that mean that Giuliani favors a wage increase, providing a safety net for the poor, health care for low-income families and affirmative action? The use of the term “socially liberal” is only in reference to the issues of gay rights and abortion rights, which the article claims that Giuliani supports, but there is no information that would verify that claim. Guiliani’s campaign website only says that he is committed to reducing the number of abortions and will work to increase the amount of adoption. On the issue of gay rights there is nothing specific to gay rights other that the following paragraph under the heading of marriage, “Rudy Giuliani believes marriage is between a man and a woman. He does not—and has never—supported gay marriage. But he believes in equal rights under law for all Americans. That’s why he supports domestic partnerships that provide stability for committed partners in important legal and personal matters, while preserving the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman.” Does that kind of statement support the notion that Giuliani supports gay rights?

The rest of the story has a comment from Robertson and reaction to the endorsement from McCain and Giuliani. None of the sources quoted provide any insight into the positions that Giuliani is taking as a candidate for president. There is also no mention of the kind of policies that Pat Robertson supports, despite the fact that he has been very public on issues of church and state and “the War on Terror.” Why is there no mention in this story that Robertson has taken a very strong stance on these issues, has called Muslims pigs and advocated that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez be assassinated? The story does mention that Robertson and Giuliani met recently on a plane coming back from Israel, but doesn’t say where they were coming from.

Story:

Televangelist Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, endorsed Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday.

“It is my pleasure to announce my support for America’s Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, a proven leader who is not afraid of what lies ahead and who will cast a hopeful vision for all Americans,” Robertson said during a news conference with Giuliani in Washington.

The former New York mayor backs abortion rights and gay rights, positions that put him in conflict with conservative GOP orthodoxy, and has been trying to persuade evangelical conservatives like Robertson to overlook their differences on those issues.

Evangelicals have split in their support for the leading Republican candidates. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a favorite of Christian conservatives who dropped out of the race last month, on Wednesday endorsed fellow Sen. John McCain of Arizona. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney recently announced that Paul Weyrich and Bob Jones III were on board with his candidacy.

Asked about the Robertson endorsement, McCain, at a news conference with Brownback in Dubuque, Iowa, said: “Every once in a while, I’m left speechless. This is one of those times.”

Giuliani is best known for leading New York in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Shortly after 9/11, Robertson released a statement in which he said the attacks occurred because Americans had insulted God and lost the protection of heaven by allowing abortion and “rampant Internet pornography.”

Robertson made no mention of his differences with Giuliani on social issues in Wednesday’s statement.

Giuliani said Wednesday he got to know Robertson well on a flight from Israel.

“I came away from it with a better understanding of Pat, what he’s all about, what he’s trying to accomplish,” he said. “And I think he came away with a different impression of me, as well. We see the world, in many ways, the same way. Doesn’t mean we agree on everything.”

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

“Rudy Giuliani took a city that was in decline and considered ungovernable and reduced its violent crime, revitalized its core, dramatically lowered its taxes, cut through a welter of bureaucratic regulations, and did so in the spirit of bipartisanship which is so urgently needed in Washington today,” Robertson said.

Robertson, who unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988, founded the Christian Broadcasting Network, the Christian Coalition and Regent University in Virginia Beach, Va.

Also Wednesday, Giuliani said he asked two GOP friends in Congress, Reps. Peter King of New York and Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas, to introduce bills to keep states from giving driver’s licenses or similar identification to illegal immigrants.

The Democratic front-runner, Hillary Rodham Clinton, was criticized after a televised debate last week when she hedged an answer on whether she supported New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s effort to grant licenses to illegal immigrants. Her aides say she generally supports the idea in the absence of comprehensive immigration reform.

Analysis:

This Associated Press story claims that anti-Chavez students were attacked by masked gunmen after protesting the Chavez government’s intent to make further constitutional changes. The second paragraph says “Officials said at least eight people were injured Wednesday, including one by gunfire, at the Central University of Venezuela, or UCV – the country’s largest university,” but the story never verifies who these “officials” are. Only two sources were cited in the story, Antonio Rivero with Venezuela’s Civil Defense Agency and Justice Minister Pedro Carreno who blamed students, university authorities, opposition parties and the media for the violence.” However, the reporter does not verify those claims even though there are several independent media reports that the violence was perpetrated by the anti-Chavez students against pro-Chavez student from the school of social work. The website Venezuelan Analysis says “Human Rights Lawyer, Eva Golinger also said the violence started when the opposition students surrounded and attacked the pro-government students in the School of Social Work.” This same website posted an article about how the Venezuelan government is blaming the US government for instigating the violence, as well as the US media for misrepresenting what is happening in a country that is currently the
target of a media propaganda campaign by the US.

Story:

Masked gunmen opened fire on students returning from a march in which tens of thousands of Venezuelans denounced President Hugo Chavez’s attempts to expand his power through constitutional changes.

Officials said at least eight people were injured Wednesday, including one by gunfire, at the Central University of Venezuela, or UCV – the country’s largest university.

Students protested in at least six other cities, and several turned violent with rock-throwing youths clashing with police shooting plastic bullets at demonstrators.

Photographers for The Associated Press saw at least four gunmen – their faces covered by ski masks or T-shirts – firing handguns at the anti-Chavez crowd at the UCV. Terrified students ran through the campus as ambulances arrived.

Antonio Rivero, director of Venezuela’s Civil Defense agency, told Union Radio that at least eight people were injured, including one by gunfire, and that no one had been killed. Earlier, Rivero said he had been informed that one person had died in the violence.

The violence broke out after an estimated 80,000 anti-Chavez demonstrators – led by university students – marched peacefully to the Supreme Court to protest constitutional changes that would greatly expand Chavez’s power if voters agree to the changes in December. Unrest, if it continues, could mar a Dec. 2 referendum on the controversial reforms.

Dozens of angry students surrounded a building where the gunmen were hiding, set fire to benches outside and knocked out windows with rocks. Later, armed men riding motorcycles arrived, scaring off students and standing at the doorway – one of them firing a handgun in the air – as people fled the building.

Justice Minister Pedro Carreno blamed students, university authorities, opposition parties and the media for the violence.

“We want to urge the media to reflect, to stop broadcasting biased news through media manipulation, filling a part of the population with hate,” Carreno said in a televised address.

He did not provide details about the number of injured or if any suspects were arrested.

University students also staged demonstrations in the cities of Merida, Maracaibo, Puerto La Cruz, San Cristobal, Barquisimeto and Valencia on Wednesday.

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

The amendments being protested would abolish presidential term limits, give the president control over the Central Bank and let him create new provinces governed by handpicked officials.

The protesters demand the referendum be suspended, saying the amendments would weaken civil liberties and give Chavez unprecedented power to declare states of emergency.

“Don’t allow Venezuela to go down a path that nobody wants to cross,” student leader Freddy Guevara told Globovision during the march to the Supreme Court.

Chavez, who was first elected in 1998, denies the reforms threaten freedom. He says they would instead move Venezuela toward what he calls “21st century socialism.”

In televised comments prior to the unrest, Chavez urged Venezuelans to turn out en masse to vote for the reforms. In reference to the opposition, he said: “Don’t go crazy.”

The Supreme Court is unlikely to act on the students’ demands, given that pro-Chavez lawmakers appointed all 32 of its justices.

Analysis:

This article from the front-page of the Grand Rapids Press focuses on an accident in which an SUV drove crashed through the wall of a home in Rockford, Michigan, just missing a sleeping five-month old baby. While the story–which involved drunken-driving–is tragic, does it really warrant the coverage that it received? Not only did it receive this 551-word story, but it also appeared on the front-page. The article was accompanied by two photos, one which took up a significant portion of the front-page with firefighters examining the SUV and another featuring the child and his mother.

Story:

By John Agar

KENT CITY — Nothing rattles 5-month-old Quinn Fox. Not the lights from the television and still cameras, nor the strangers with notepads who disturbed his afternoon nap.

“Our son is so happy right now,” said his mother, Kim Fox.

The infant’s first press conference Wednesday was nothing compared to his harrowing experience at 9:18 the night before, when an SUV blasted into the front of the family’s house on Fruit Ridge Avenue NW. It stopped, its wheels still spinning, a foot from his crib. Quinn was covered in debris but unhurt.

His mother, still shaken hours later, didn’t want to even think about what could have happened.

“It’s just a miracle, an absolute miracle,” she said.

She and her husband, Neven, had just put their kids, including 17-month-old Isabella, to bed when they heard a “big boom” on the baby monitor. Quinn’s cries followed.

The parents got out of bed and saw a panel covering a crawl space had fallen. They thought it odd, and figured that was the source of the noise. They weren’t overly concerned until they got downstairs.

In their son’s room, they saw pieces of drywall, window screens, glass and wood everywhere.

“There was all kind of debris, and dust was just flying all over the place,” Neven Fox said.

It covered the little boy and his crib. In her bare feet, the mother ran to her son, stepping on broken glass and metal, and got him out of his crib.

“My wife was saying, ‘My baby, my baby,'” the father said. “That was really frantic.”

He checked to see whether anything was in his son’s mouth, but it looked clear.

He didn’t have a scratch. They ran upstairs to check on their daughter. She was asleep.

Once the parents knew their children were OK, the father realized, “I’ve got three-quarters of a truck inside of our kid’s bedroom.”

As headlights shined into his house, he asked the driver if she was OK and told her to cut the engine. She was trapped, her SUV’s roof crushed. Firefighters soon got her out.

Kent County sheriff’s deputies arrested the 49-year-old Bailey woman for drunken driving after she was treated for minor injuries. She is to be arraigned Nov. 19 in Rockford District Court.

The driver told police she was heading north when she swerved to avoid a deer, veered across the road and drove across the Foxes’ front yard. A motorist told the Foxes the Bailey woman’s vehicle nearly crashed head-on into his.

The driver’s husband showed up and apologized.

The couple said they hold no ill will toward the driver.

“We’re just thankful our son is with us, and it wasn’t his time to go,” his mother said. “I just think that God didn’t want it to go that extra foot.”

Kim Fox, a kindergarten teacher at North Godwin Elementary School, figured she had a good excuse for missing conferences Wednesday. Her husband, a financial representative, stayed home, too.

They are staying with Kim’s sister’s family for now. Their house, including an office, has extensive damage.

That can be repaired, Kim Fox said.

Her son, nicknamed “Mr. Quinn,” has always been “such a good little one.”

She planned to save newspaper clippings, and tape news accounts, for her son when he’s older.

“It beats my scrapbook I’ve been working on.”

Analysis:

This story is based upon a recent issue of Parade Magazine, which features an annual story on what “Americans make” in terms of salary. The story opens with the statement “Pay is a personal issue, yet one we all wonder about – ‘How much does my neighbor make?’ is a question most people ask themselves.” Is this first sentence based on any verifiable data or study? Is there any source that is cited to support such a statement within this channel 13 story? If not, why say it? The reporter goes on to say “We, like most of America, enjoy reading Parade magazine inside our Sunday paper.” Again, if this true for most of America? What does the story mean by “most of America?” It is true that Parade Magazine appears in many Sunday newspaper editions (350 Sunday editions), but the story doesn’t say that it is also in the Grand Rapids Press and that the same company that owns the Grand Rapids Press owns Parade Magazine.

The story then shifts to the various levels of income between “the baker and the billionaire,” and even provides viewers with the web address on Parade Magazines website so you can compare your salary with other Americans. The story does not tell viewers that Salary.com is a corporate resource that “builds on-demand software around a deep domain knowledge in the area of compensation to help customers win the war for talent by simplifying the connections between people, pay and performance.” The story then goes on to source a local “compensation expert” who is the director of the Employer’s Association, which is another corporate entity that helps employers find people to work for them. The story then provides viewers with a few examples from local CEO salaries, a lawyer, an athlete, a clerk at Meijer, a fast food restaurant supervisor, and several others with smaller salaries. The layer is sourced in the story and the Employer’s Association director once again.

The story ends with the question “What is the most common, or median income around Grand Rapids?” The question is answered by providing data from the U.S. Department of Labor, but viewers should ask themselves what was the purpose of this story? Why didn’t the story get an non-business perspective on wages and salaries in the United States such as the perspective provided by the organization United for a Fair Economy, which provides a number of resources on income disparity and CEO pay versus worker pay.

Story:

Grand Rapids – Pay is a personal issue, yet one we all wonder about – ‘How much does my neighbor make?’ is a question most people ask themselves.

Our story idea is not original. We, like most of America, enjoy reading Parade magazine inside our Sunday paper. Every year, right about when taxes are due, Parade “parades” photos and pay levels of people from across the country. From the baker to the internet billionaire, it’s fascinating reading. You can learn more about What People Earn from Parade Magazine’s website.

It includes a salary wizard from http://www.salary.com. You can plug in your own data and see how your pay stacks up.

However, a compensation expert from Grand Rapids, cautions that salary dot com’s data tends to be inflated by 10 to 20%. David Smith, executive director of The Employer’s Association also says Grand Rapids pay levels, in general, “pays a bit less than the rest of the world.”

Some salaries are easy to find – if you work for a public company, or the government, they’re easily available. The highest salary in our report belongs to the C.E.O. of Steelcase, Inc. Jim Hackett. In the company’s last fiscal year, his salary was $840,000. Runnerup, sort of, was pro athlete Jimmy Howard. We says sort of since Howard’s income depends on the jersey he’s wearing. When he’s with the Detroit Red Wings, his pay rate is $733,000. When he’s in goal for the Griffins, it’s closer to $85,000.

Some people told us they don’t like to be judged on their pay level. One of them was the chief appellate attorney for the Kent County Prosecutor’s office, Tim McMurrow. He says “A lot of people will define you in terms of what your income is, and I think that’s really unfair.” McMurrow declined to tell us what his income his, but a Freedom of Information Act request revealed he’s paid $96,969 a year.

Dave Smith, of The Employer’s Association, said for most people pay “defines who they are in the perception of others.” For some of the people we encountered on the streets of Grand Rapids, it was no big deal to volunteer their pay.

Geoff Gentel, a sales clerk at Meijer, said his annual full-time income was about $10,000. Shannon Veenstra, a fast food restaurant supervisor, will bring home about $17,888 this year. Benson Garza, a laborer with a concrete company will earn $50,000.

Others making about $50,000 were mailman Dennis Kimberlin ($49,000), car salesman Dale Schaub ($45,000), and machinist Tom Slenker ($50,000).

What is the most common, or median income around Grand Rapids? According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the figure is $31,242. The average income in 2006 was $38,060. Both of those figures showed increases from the year before.

Analysis:

This Grand Rapids Press article examines a recent event held as part of a nationwide “Step It Up 2” event calling for a 80% reduction in carbon emission by 2050. While the article contained the primary demand of the campaign, it failed to cite any organizers or discuss specific stemps being sought by the campaign to reduce emission.

Representative Vern Ehlers is the only person cited in the article. Ehlers says that the environmental movement’s efforts to draw attention to global warming have been successful and that there are few people in Congress now that doubt global warming. The article makes no mention of current efforts to address global warming in Congress or Ehlers’ record on the environment.

Story:

GRAND RAPIDS — West Michigan environmental groups today joined a national effort to call for legislation to reduce carbon emissions in the United States by 80 percent by 2050.

Today’s event, attended by about 50, was part of the “Step it Up” campaign to demonstrate to federal, state and local lawmakers that environmental issues are of broad concern to the public.

The group’s first event in April drew about 400 people and was one of about 1,400 events nationwide.

Today’s event was held at The Rapid central station, the Grand Rapids area bus system’s headquarters.

Congressman Vern Ehlers, R-Grand Rapids, told those gathered that efforts to convince members of Congress have worked. Only a handful of his colleagues still harbor doubts about the threat of climate change, compared to a decade ago when questions remained as to whether it was even a real issue.

“The good news is that we have passed a crucial point,” Ehlers said. “The key questions 10 years ago were is global warming real, what’s causing it and what can we do about it? Just about every member of Congress is at least past that first question.”

Today’s event was sponsored by the Sierra Club, West Michigan Environmental Action Council and the United Steelworkers of America Blue Green Alliance.

Analysis:

This story appeared on the front page of the Grand Rapids Press, right under a story about a guy who carves wooden pumpkins. The first question to ask yourself is “how did this information get to the GR Press?” Was it part of a media release from the DeVos family or from Greenridge Reality? The story reads like an ad from a company that sells houses, with lengthy descriptions of what the house looks like, the surrounding property, even dimensions of the home are included.

The only sources used in the story is a statement from the Agent that listed the property for sale, a neighbor who said they loved to see the DeVos helicopter land, and another wealthy neighbor/developer who was confident that the property would sell. There is a bit of information from the Holland City Assessor’s office on the value of the property, but no other information is provided. Accompanying the front page story is a photo of the home and a fact box with information that is included at the end of the story on your left. Why did the Grand Rapids Press consider this news? Why list property sales as a news story, especially since they don’t do this when average income citizens sell their homes? Does this suggest that there is favoritism when reporting on the DeVos family? Lastly, how does this story provide useful information for those living in West Michigan?

Story:

With a three-car garage, a dock that can accommodate four boats, and a helicopter pad, Holland’s most expensive home was built to be the ultimate summer getaway.

After upgrading to a Lake Michigan mansion near Tunnel Park in neighboring Park Township, billionaire Richard DeVos is selling his longtime summer compound on Lake Macatawa for $4.5 million.

Spread along 2.9 acres on South Shore Drive, the estate features a 12,146-square-foot house with five bedrooms and 8 1/2 bathrooms, and a 1,128-square-foot guest house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Outside, the property offers deep-water frontage the length of three football fields. Inside the plush residence, amenities include marble floors, a gourmet kitchen and indoor pool.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own the most significant estate on Lake Macatawa,” agent Ken Grashuis says on his Greenridge Realty Inc. Web site.

Grashuis, who was vacationing in Florida, could not be reached for comment. And a DeVos spokeswoman did not return a call for comment.

A tour of the house is by appointment only. Even without a tour, you still can take a peek via Grashuis’ Web site, which offers eight photos of the home’s exterior, including the lake view and tennis court.

Completed in 1984, the contemporary-style residence was built by Dan Vos Construction.

The Ada Township-based construction company also built Hope College’s $22 million DeVos Fieldhouse in 2005 and the Alticor Corp. World Headquarters in Ada.

The selling price is a tad more than what Holland Assessing Administrator Dave VanderHeide pegs the property at.

City records place the value of the parcel with the main house at about $3.6 million, and a second parcel with the guest house at $700,000, for a total of $4.3 million.

But having the Amway co-founder and his wife, Helen, for neighbors was priceless, say those who lived nearby. When her children were little, DeVos would play with them on the swing set, said Cathy Koop, who lives next door in a brick Colonial.

“They were wonderful neighbors,” Koop said.

Having a billionaire neighbor who came and went by air, water or land was fun.

“We loved watching the helicopter. Everybody would run to the window to watch it. We got a real kick out of it,” Koop said.

Earlier this year, DeVos bought a $6.2 million home on North Lakeshore Drive, one of several pieces of property he’s acquiring along that corridor, records show.

For his old neighbors, the question is: How long will they have to wait for the sound of whirling blades to fill the air again?

Holland developer and South Shore Drive neighbor Scott Geerlings doesn’t think the tough real estate market has reached multimillion-dollar mansions.

“That’s the only part of the market that is good,” Geerlings said, taking a phone call between rounds of golf.

“It’s a beautiful piece of property, and I think it should sell.”

There still will be a DeVos in the neighborhood. DeVos’ son Dick owns a summer house down the street.

Holland’s priciest house

The DeVos place on Lake Macatawa:

Address: 1025 South Shore Drive

Price: $4.5 million

Down payment: $225,000

Monthly mortgage (30 years at 6.75 percent): $27,727.57

Annual property taxes: $77,000

Listed on: Agent Ken Grashuis’ Greenridge Realty properties page at greenridge.com/agent/proplist.asp?CEQ_AgentCode=277

Analysis:

This story that appeared in the “Your Life” section of the GR Press is based upon a promotional stunt between the fast food chain Taco Bell and Major League Baseball. Why do you think that the Grand Rapids Press would pay one of their reporters to drive around town with a Press photographer and eat tacos from Taco Bell? How does this story pass as journalism? Would the Press pay a reporter to spend as much time driving to 10 different fast food restaurants and ask the workers about their wages and working conditions? The GR Press may argue that this is meant as a humorous entertainment piece, but how does that inform the community about what entertainment options are available to citizens of West Michigan?

Story:

A free taco is tempting.

Ten free tacos in three hours? Equally hard to resist, but much harder to digest.

Allow me to explain. Last week, a certain fast-food chain announced it would give everyone in America a free taco if a player stole a base during the World Series. A base was stolen (thanks, Boston Red Sox rookie Jacoby Ellsbury) and, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, free tacos were served.

Because the company earned tons of free publicity for this giveaway, I’ll avoid using its name more than necessary, other than to say there are more than a dozen Taco Bell locations in the Grand Rapids area. My self-appointed mission was to stop at 10 and eat a free taco within the allotted time.

Dishonest? Yeah. Unhealthy? Most likely. Gross? No doubt. But hey, free tacos.

So, with a map in hand and a gut full of pre-emptive Pepto Bismol, I set out with a photographer to claim 10 times my share of free Crunchy Seasoned Beef Tacos. Call it early trick-or-treating, only with more meat and lettuce than usual.

I expected Hannah Montana levels of hysteria at each franchise, with lines spilling out the doors, but was perplexed to discover business-as-usual crowds and zero fanfare.

That was probably a conscious decision on the company’s part.

Once you’ve committed to giving away 300 million tacos, it’s understandable you would want to keep it quiet on the big day.

That would explain why the promotion happened during the normally slow late afternoon. It also would explain a lot of the eye-rolling from employees when I strode proudly to each counter and demanded a free taco and nothing else. Apparently, the ploy was to lure customers into the restaurants and get them to buy other items. Sorry, not interested.

At any rate, it’s too early to guess whether the promotion was successful. I would say it probably was, in terms of buzz. When was the last time you heard people chatting about fast-food tacos?

I wasn’t the only person with the franchise-hopping idea.

At my ninth stop, I met Chad, a 24-year-old Grand Rapids resident who wouldn’t give his last name. The 44th Street location was his fourth stop of a planned six.

“I just have to,” Chad said. “You gotta take advantage of things like this.”

And take advantage we did.

The company’s Web site had some threatening language about managers being able to turn away customers if there was reason to believe they already received their free taco. By the time I was almost done, the green tint to my face should have been all the tip-off they needed.

But I persevered. By 4:45 p.m., I had a sore gut to prove I consumed way more tacos than any human ever should.

After the fact, I came across donateyourtaco.com. Visitors to the site who didn’t want their Crunchy Seasoned Beef could submit their name, and the site would ask Taco Bell to donate the value of the unclaimed tacos (77 cents apiece) to the American Red Cross.

Great idea. But, since I found the site too late, I’m hoping someone will make a charitable donation to Buy-Troy-Some-More-Pepto-Bismol.com.

I asked a co-worker if she cared to join me on the excursion, and she said, “My body is a temple.” I guess that would make mine something like a garage, or a shed.

Analysis:

This article is a shortened version of what ran in the New York Times and is based on an interview with Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean.

The article begins with criticism of how Dean is handling the position as National Party Chair and his current battle with Florida Democrats whom the story says are suing Dean, an issue that Dean refers to as “a spat between politicians.” The article also claims that Dean thinks he is influencing the current cast of Democratic Presidential candidates because of “its strong opposition to the war in Iraq.” The article never says which candidates are in opposition to the war in Iraq, nor does it provides any verification of the claim that Democratic candidates are against the war or that Dean himself was against the war in Iraq. The first section of the article ends by making some broad comparisons to previous National Party chairs like Ronald Brown and Terry McAuliffe, who is refered to as “the Party’s most successful fundraiser.”

The second section of the story is mostly about what role, if any, Dean is playing in supporting the current Democratic Presidential candidates. He only mentions Clinton and Biden in his remarks and avoids responding to a question about Al Gore running again. The only two responses he has to questions posed by the reporter on the Democratic Presidential candidates are “What I tell Democrats is do not vote with your head, vote with your heart,” and “They’re starting to look presidential, which is how you win.”

The story concludes with some criticism by the Democratic candidates of the way Dean is handling his position, with an emphasis on whether or not the national party will have money to spend after the presidential nomination. Dean says there will be plenty of money when responding specifically to being able to pay for television commercials, but the reporter provides readers with no background or context for how much money that might be or why so much money is spent on TV commercials.

Story:

There has never been a Democratic chairman with as much firsthand knowledge about running for president as Howard Dean.

Four years ago, at this stage in the race, he was flying high. Now, Mr. Dean is being sued by Democrats in Florida and second-guessed over how he is spending the party’s money. He seldom receives so much as a call seeking advice from this year’s candidates.

The rise and abrupt fall of his campaign now seems to hold lessons for some of the current contenders, from what it means to assume an air of inevitability to the dangers of counting on grass-roots energy to translate into votes. But Mr. Dean also sees ways in which the field has adopted elements of his candidacy, like its strong opposition to the war in Iraq.

“I often find myself ahead of the curve,” he said, a satisfied smile falling over his face. “Unfortunately, ‘I told you so,’ is an incredibly unsuccessful campaign slogan.”

For Mr. Dean, this could be a moment of great prominence, a chance to tower over the party at a buoyant moment. But most days, he conducts business in near obscurity, rarely appearing on television or at public events. It is a sharp departure from chairmen like Ronald H. Brown, a power broker known for firing off strategy memorandums in 1992, or Terry McAuliffe, a highly visible figure and one of the party’s most successful fund-raisers, who stepped down in 2005.

Mr. Dean travels the country without an entourage, often stopping in state capitals like here in Minnesota, inspecting the progress of projects like a door-knocking program that encourages people to stop by 25 houses three times before Election Day. To a room filled with activists, he declares, “We need to knock on most of the doors in America in the next year!”

Mr. Dean appears content with his role, talking about the past and the present with a relaxed air of confidence. For more than an hour, over lunch at the St. Paul Grill, he scoops up details about the race, asking questions only a former candidate who spent months in Iowa and New Hampshire might know.

“The only wistful moments I’ve had are at the debates,” said Mr. Dean, who has been seated in the audience for many of them. “I relish the combat and I miss it.”

He avoids mentioning specific names of Democratic candidates — “I try to stay out of the business of the campaigns,” he said — but ultimately slips in a reference to Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware.

“I know what it’s like to be where they are — all of them, from Biden to Clinton,” Mr. Dean said, pushing his fork through a platter of Caesar salad. “Because I’ve been in all of their positions: bottom, middle and top.”

A conversation today with Mr. Dean is a study in discipline compared with his offhand remarks that were prone to generate headlines four years ago. He does not disagree with the assessment, saying he is “unlike the old me.” Why such caution? “You live and you learn, right?” he replies.

So a string of questions are answered with a fresh, yet telling, caution:

Should Al Gore get into the race? “I’ve never discussed that with him, and I don’t plan to. My bailiwick is to stay out of that stuff.” (Mr. Gore, of course, endorsed Mr. Dean four years ago.) After 26 seconds of silence, he changes the subject and asks his lunch guests, “Coffee, strawberry shortcake, anybody?”

If Democrats want the best nominee possible, why not weigh in? “What I tell Democrats is do not vote with your head, vote with your heart.” Did that happen four years ago? “I’m not going to get into that — at all!”

At this point in the race, how do the candidates compare with those 2004? “They’re starting to look presidential, which is how you win.” Pausing for a moment, he laughed. “I’m not sure I ever looked presidential,” he said.

And the campaign? “It’s not as hard-nosed as a race as it was four years ago. The candidates are much more polite to each other.”

While his advisers are in frequent contact with aides to the eight Democratic campaigns, Mr. Dean has spent little one-on-one time with candidates, with the exception of courtesy calls most of them paid to him when the race began. Since then, Mr. Dean has largely watched from afar, overseeing a streamlining of the party’s voter database and other technological upgrades at the committee.

“Most people are only involved in presidential campaigns to the extent that candidates want them to be involved,” said Joseph Andrew, who served as party chairman in 1999 and 2000. With eight candidates, as well as Democrats in control of Congress, Mr. Andrew said the chairman was bound to have a less prominent role.

While the candidates do not publicly criticize Mr. Dean, their aides are furious with what they see as his inability to set and stick to a primary calendar, given that the voting is scheduled to start in less than three months.

Mr. Dean, they said, has failed to avoid the hopscotching among states seeking to increase their influence in the process, and has made matters worse by getting into a showdown with states like Florida, which set an earlier primary date than party rules allow. Mr. Dean’s vow to strip away delegates from the state prompted the lawsuit.

His critics also worry that the Democratic National Committee will lack the money necessary to support the party’s candidate in the long months after a nominee emerges but before the general election formally gets under way. The party chairman’s duties include overseeing how the party spends its money and helping set election rules.

Mr. Dean brushes aside the criticism, calling the Florida situation “a spat between politicians.” As for worries about the committee being able to broadcast television commercials to support the party’s nominee, he snapped, “There will be plenty of money.”

He vigorously defends his signature program, trying to build the party’s strength in all 50 states, but still finds himself responding to criticism for investing millions of dollars hiring party workers in Republican-dominated states like Alaska.

“Having more people in Alaska doesn’t look so stupid this year, does it?” Mr. Dean said, noting a Senate and House seat that suddenly turned competitive as two longtime Republican incumbents face federal investigation. “Chance favors the prepared mind. Never forget it.”

Text from the original article ommitted from the Grand Rapids Press version:

While Mr. Dean said he intended to stay on as Democratic chairman until his term expires in 2009, he is slowly preparing to relinquish authority to the party’s nominee. “As long as they continue the 50-state strategy, which they have already agreed to do,” Mr. Dean said, “I see a relatively frictionless takeover.”

This summer, presidential candidates signed an agreement, put forward by state party leaders, pledging their support for continuing the program. While few Democrats argue with trying to bolster the party across the country, several campaign officials say it is too expensive.

The Democratic Party’s presidential candidates and its Congressional re-election committees have raised more money than their Republican counterparts. The Democratic National Committee, though, has fallen behind the Republican National Committee. In a disclosure report filed Saturday, the D.N.C. said it had $3.25 million in the bank, compared with $9.71 million heading into the presidential race four years ago.

Still, throughout the lunch, Mr. Dean pronounced himself happy with the state of the Democratic Party, its field of candidates and his tenure as chairman.

“I’d say there are more people who don’t like me,” he said, “than there are skeptics.”

With that, he ordered a decaf cappuccino and the waitress brought the check.