SD’s right-wing bloggers are squawking that left bloggers in SD aren’t outraged that the operator of Daily Kos was a paid consultant to the Dean campaign and using that news to rationalize their actions. They miss the point.
As I said at the outset, I didn’t have a problem with the Thune campaign paying bloggers. My concern was that you wouldn’t know that by looking at the blogs. In contrast, the Daily Kos site posted a “Full Disclosure” entry when retained and carried a front page disclaimer in the upper left corner. (Graphics and design-type people will tell you that is the focal point to which the eye is first drawn on a page or web site.)
I could care less if someone gets paid for voicing an opinion. If they can sell it, more power to them. Disclosure is the issue. It’s the lack of candor that’s disheartening. What did these people fear from being honest on their blogs?
Along those lines, I will join Proud Liberal and, in fact, make my statement somewhat broader: I have never received money or other consideration or recompense, directly or indirectly, from any federal, state or local political campaign or government agency in exchange for any thing ever posted on this blog.
