GregsOpinion.com

Dude... you just can't let this Ann Witt race drop, can ya? You're not really letting something go unmentioned, if you mention it all the time, are ya?

Ann never paid me to consult her. I did a pro bono website design, which I turned over to a paid designer. And I really didn't push Ann too hard, now did I? "We'll just sit back and have fun in the next few weeks..."? Yeah, real hardcore endorsement there, buddy. =)

If I was being paid as a consultant, rest assured, I wouldn't have come here to needle you about the race during the campaign. That was done because I was just looking to stick up for a family friend and because I don't like liberals ideologically.

I really don't have a problem with these guys taking money with the express purpose of promoting candidates. If they want to call themselves a political consulting firm, and they have the supposed million readers a day, I think they should be able to make a quick buck. They'll look like idiots later, but they'll be marginally wealthier.

Now, I don't have a million readers a day. It took me a whole month to come just shy of 100,000 in December. But no one pays me to promote them on my blog. I like to speak favorably of family friends on my blog (Ann Witt, Dr. Paul, Sen. Gramm), and people I agree with ideologically.

You seem to be haphazardly blurring the line between government and the world of campaigns. You're not really working for the government when you work for a campaign (unless its Presidential with the matching funds, yada yada).

I've only held two paying government jobs in my life, and those were both while I was in college and I made probably a combined total of less than what Kos got paid for one month of Dean-fanfare.

Surely as somebody who aspires to be paid for campaign work, I'd expect you to be able to recognize the difference between "tool for the government", and a personal blog.

Which is my next point - I don't really run an all-out, 24/7 political blog, now do I? I maintain a personal blog. And there shouldn't have to be a political disclaimer on my website when I've got a little cartoon in the upper left corner, and when I spend half my time bitching about the Astros/MLB and why I hate hobbit hair. I blog about life... and my life happens to include politics every couple of years, because I am a political consultant.

Based on the number of clients I have that you don't know about (because I don't talk about them online, and you've never really made an effort to get to know me personally), I think I do pretty well in keeping my personal life (including my blog) separate from my profession.

Yep. I'm a young'un in the world of political consulting. But I'm prolific!

So why do you feel it necessary to point out this particular instance of me having turned over Ann Witt's website? I received no cash payout like those other two morons. You're the one who goes around with the line "I'll send you an invoice" in your comments... =)

Number of times I mentioned Ann Witt in the post: 0

Number of times Chris mentioned Ann Witt in the response: 5

Intesting response, Chris. My point was that bloggers doing political work was nothing in the same league as professional media types (or even regular bloggers themselves) shilling for the government and you took that as a swipe at Ann Witt somehow. I defend you, as well as two others I'm not ideologically predisposed to defend, and you take offense. Simply amazing.

But given that you reference your own healthy income from a successful campaign consultancy (and the most genuine of kudos for that and any other professional success), that you do work pro-bono for a candidate is still an in-kind contribution, be it of time or resources. I believe there's also a reference to a mailing that Witt put out and a "we" reference on your part attached to it either in my archives or yours ... not sure which. If the translation is incorrect in thinking that you had been under contract in any capacity with the Witt campaign, then by all means, I correct the record on that count.

Now, I'm going to go on the rest of the day figuring out when and where I ever aspired to be a paid political consultant.

Kos only posted a disclaimer AFTER he was smoked out as a paid consultant to the Dean campaign. For a long time, he glibly tried to look like he was simply a concerned citizen.

Markos is a phony, a guy whose sense of his own importance is amazing. His silly crusade against the DLC, his slams against Lieberman, and his misrepresentation of the relationship between the DLC and NDN have grown tiresome as well.

Peter, nicely said.

OK........................

I didn't realize I needed defending. That whole reference seemed rather odd.

Sorry to have offended!

Peter, what proof do you have about Kos's reason for disclosure? He disclosed immediately (Monday June 9) after the weekend that he accepted the work for Dean. Yes, Kos is self-important, but you're wrong about going a "long time" without disclosure. Or do you have proof that he was paid by the Dean campaign prior to that?