In covering Dino Rossi’s speech at Friday’s Mainstream Republican conference, the Seattle P-I’s Joel Connelly mentioned the DSCC’s recent efforts to educate the public about Rossi’s many financial dealings:
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which Murray once headed, has spent the past month feeding dirt on Rossi to media outlets, and Democratic ringers in the blogosphere community.
As the best read and most influential liberal blogger in the state, I can only assume Joel includes me in his list of “Democratic ringers,” and I have to say, I find that both flattering and insulting.
On the one hand, the term “ringer” implies a high degree of skill, and yeah, I am a pretty damn good blogger, so thanks Joel, for the compliment. But on the other hand, the term implies a degree of false representation… the insinuation that I’m not quite what I appear to be, and well, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Unlike, say, the editorial board at the Seattle Times, I have always worn my bias on my sleeve and trusted my audience to read me in that context. And as for being a “Democratic” ringer, yeah, Democrats sometimes feed me stories the same way they feed other journalists, but nobody – and I mean nobody — tells me what to write, nor pays me for that privilege. If I’m a ringer, I’m at worst a conscience-driven independent ringer.
So as much as I appreciate Joel for being one of the few legacy journalists to engage with us upstart bloggers, I can’t help but take his distinction between “media outlets” and “Democratic ringers in the blogosphere” as an effort to diminish us… to somehow dismiss what bloggers like I write as false, misleading and propagandistic. Facts are facts, and if I get mine wrong, Joel and others are free to shove that in my face. But when you write me off as a mere “Democratic ringer,” well that’s just an excuse to ignore the sometimes uncomfortable things that I write… for example, like the Times ignoring the leaked Reichert audio that blows up their meme of him as a pro-environment moderate.
Or, like Joel ignoring it, for that matter.
Goldy: Joel Connelly’s remark of “Democratic ringers in the blogosphere” was a misstatement, Kinda like CT Democrat Blumenthal’s misstatements where he is uncertain if he was in a war or not.
Connelly meant to say “Democratic ding-dings…” but was trying to be kind to your scribblings.
What’s really amusing is that there are lots of people who will dismiss Connelly’s writing because without a print edition he’s “just” a blogger himself.
His Corpulence just needs to retire.
Here’s a clue for you, Goldy:
Once you have to remind people (or reassure yourself) how “influential” you are, you have forfeited all claim to “influence” and have become a younger version of Ted Van Dyk.
You’re no ringer, but all Rossi all the time is getting old.
No doubt you have given lazy reporters and lazy editors in WA a fine base of information if and when they begin to report on this 2 time loser grifting politician.
But there are other issues and stories that merit more attention than Hamlet.
In the end, Rossi’s entering the race is good for WA Democrats. A real race for Murray will better energize the base in the west, and a repeat of Rossi isn’t as likely as you and many think to fire up our misguided brethren in the east.
There will be plenty of opportunities to harpoon our helmet hair headed punching bag. And I’m confident that if you give the Murray campaign just a wee bit of time, to respond as he stumbles the full story will be more interesting to your readers.
Now, what exactly is Rossi’s position on Title VII of the Civil Rights Act? The Americans with Disability Act? Federal agricultural subsidies? Who will Rossi support for Republican leader? DeMenthol? McCrooked?
Come to think of it, what’s Rossi’s opinion of Sarah Palin, who endorsed his primary opponant? Is she a principled and intelligent conservative, and if so, why did she endorse his opponant? Is she a nutcase who knows nothing about national/international policy, much less local politics, so her endorsement doesn’t really matter? (That should drive the wingnuts stir crazy!).
Of course, being a slippery real estate salesman that he is, I expect he would give a smiling non-answer to that question, before saying that he “isn’t running on that issue”.
ivan @4,
Well, I suppose if I had access to suitcases full of money, like Ted, I wouldn’t need plug myself during my pledge drive.
LMFAO! All “that” and Goldy still can’t get laid, or find gainful employment. :)
By “ringer”, I think he means “bell toller”…you know, a noisemaker. Someone signaling to the flock that it is time to come and worship, and spread the word.
“influential”….lmfao.
delusions of grandeur indeed…
Life in the locker room of politics.
I guess Goldy will never be as prescient as David Broder or George Will.
‘Regret having given you one more opportunity to write about yourself, which is such a big part of what you do.
Joel just can’t accept the fact he’s a dinosaur.
So, is Joel going to explain why he ignored the story about Reichert??
I wish we had more dinosaurs like Joel. He knows the beat & has a salary which gives him time to go out on it. A dilettante like me can’t do that.
Only Goldy could make me feel sorry for Joel (whom i regard as a fool….). Goldy, you are dummer and certainly not as nice.
I think I have a plan to deal with us tea partiers.
VOTE DINO AND… GET MARUMMY TOO!!!
SCREW DIDLIER! HE’S USING YOU… AND SAYING WHAT-EVER HE THINKS YOU WANNA HEAR!
SAVE OUR STATE!
SAVE OUR STATE!
SAVE OUR STATE!
THIS ISN’T REDSKIN COUNTRY, IT’S MARUMMY COUNTRY! # OF VOTES = # OF LEGAL VOTERS = # OF LEGAL VOTES
Where was Didlier when Dean C. Logan was running amok, finding ballots and making a mess of the system?!? One of the great moral tests of our time?!? Where?!? Same to you, Patty Murray – last time you were on a ballot, I voted Libertarian thanks in part to your loony comments about Osama bin Laden.
Oh and Rick Larsen? No worries, he’ll keep his seat. Next time, I’ll run. On a ticket of “clean elections, tax reform to a flat income tax as per Steve Forbes, North Korea delenda est* and Nobamacare” which will slightly be to right of that cowpoke. And more responsible than Isolationist Didolier who seems to forget we got allies and we are on the brink of war with North Korea, a war that will most likely have nuclear missiles intercepted by Clinton’s and W’s investments in missile defense.
My point is this: These are serious times. It’s time for Mary “Marummy” Lane Strow’s puppet to win an election for once, not for Patty Murray to e-mail me a puff piece as I type. We have a Secretary of Defense for our state, I think our nation has a great one who could use some backup as war with North Korea is probably less than a year away.
—FOOTNOTE—
*Roughly: North Korea must be destroyed!
@16: “Goldy, you are dummer and certainly not as nice.”
Yeah, he’s so dumb he can’t even spell “dumb”! How could we respect a guy who can’t spell “dumb”?!
@17
Wow, I nominate this comment for a golden goat. Heck this might even qualify as goat of the month.
With thoughtful commentary like #12, it’s hard to see why the P-I struggles.
My husband was strolling around Green Lake yesterday in the early afternoon when a guy who said he was an AP reporter asked him about Rossi vs. Murray. My husband is articulate and well read and he gave the reporter a long list of reasons why he supports Murray. Plus, my husband isn’t a ringer.
@21: I take it you cancel each other’s vote then?
Golly, trolling Green Lake for voter opinions…about as deep blue an area as you could find; same reporter should head to suburbs or dare say, east of snoqualmie
and dummer , who cares how you spell or capitalize on this blog. I’m hardly worried about perfect writing amidst the illogical left i’m competing with.
@22
Patty’s going to get two votes at our house.
@23: wrongon
You think you are competing? Maybe you are a legend in your own mind.
Hahahaha, a moron like you doesn’t compete. You are here for our amusement as we laugh at what a fool you are.
Thanks for the “dumm” and “dummer” material.
How did you even get out of third grade?
Is this the best the wingnuts have to offer. A fool who can’t even spell his own insults correctly?
And don’t claim it was a typo – those are different from the just plain ignorance that you display.
@23: wrongon
What is the record of republican idiots (um, candidates) in the state of washington?
Hmm, democratic governor, legislature, Senators and congressman (on the westside except for the vulnerable (and lying) Reichert).
No- the uneducated, the racist, the ignorant…they vote republican – along with the coporate elite.
That is why republicans opposed health care regfrom, opposed banking reform and coddle the insurance, oil and pharmaceutical industries.
Did you forget Jack Abramoff? The ultimate republican insider and corruptor?
19
Such a joy to see Marummy’s special blend of lunacy back on these threads, isn’t it? I’m sure the Skagit County GOP is pleased to consider him its own.
@24: I think I may have mistaken you for someone else. It’s hard to tell around here sometimes.
I also think I owe you an apology. So, Emily not a sockpuppet for some detestable wingnut troll, I do.