http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2008-05-20-OneTouchMay20200811.JPG

"It's funny because it's true..."
-Homer Simpson

Michale.....

There's a Walker Percy quote I love: "There's always a lag between the end of an age and the realization that the age has ended."

Perhaps there's a lag in rural groups realizing that it doesn't necessarily take money to win a fight for issue votes. Money or not, it takes publicity and ingenuity in how one gets it when one cannot afford a billboard or mass mailing.

I stand corrected about the future of 527s. It may be much brighter than I thought.

Money shocker! Hillary Clinton's campaign debt soars to $31 million
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/05/clintondebt.html

Simply another reason why Clinton should quit now, before she racks up even more debt..

On the other hand, it might be ANOTHER way that Clinton will sabotage Obama's run. By racking up a huge debt and then forcing Obama to pay for it.

If I were Obama, I would cover Clinton's debt up to the point it became obvious to anyone that she couldn't win. That point, in my not so humble opinion, would be the Indiana/North Carolina primaries... I would tell Clinton that, after the Indy/NC contests, she has to cover everything she did..

Michale.....

First of all, I'd like to welcome you to the site!

For everyone else, I'd like to highlight a few things. In my "picks" article on West Virginia, I included the following line, as I was sorely tempted to make a cheap joke with HILLary Clinton and BILL Cliton's name resulting in some form of the word "hillbilly," but refrained from doing so. I thought I was being extra-sensitive, since I do strive to avoiding offending anyone unintentionally, and cheap shots like this with slurs that many consider offensive are the worst kind of trashy comedy. In any case, what I wrote was:

"West Virginians, please note I refrained from making any sort of 'hillbilly' jokes here, although with Senator Clinton's first name (and her husband's as well) the temptation to do so was almost overwhelming. But I consider the term to be derogatory, hence my restraint."

But it took Buzzardbilly, who has a wonderful web site from West Virginia to put me on the straight and narrow. It's the old problem of "don't think of an elephant" -- when someone tells you that, you can't but help picture a pachyderm. It was pointed out to me that my weak attempt at humor was exactly the same -- "insert your own hillbilly joke here" was the way Buzzardbilly so aptly put it.

In any case, we have smoothed over our differences, and Buzzardbilly has been kind enough to write an article highlighting me, and also to put me on her blogroll. So we're friends now, in other words.

Since I grew up in a state near West Virginia, and often traveled to the eastern part of the state, I hope all Mountain Staters will feel welcome here. I assure them all, I have childhood memories of Seneca Rocks and Seneca Caverns, as well as visiting the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (before the main antenna fell down). I have been to the top of Spruce Knob (West Virginia's highest point) at least twice, once in the depths of winter. I have inner-tubed the Potomac past Harpers Ferry. When I wrote a book about radio disk jockeys, I interviewed "Cowboy Will" Shumate from 105.9FM in Beckley (WTNJ).

What I'm trying to say here is that I'm no stranger to West Virginia, and you shouldn't feel like a stranger here. Although I live now in California, I can't stand people who consider everything between the coasts as "flyover country." Americans are Americans, no matter where they happen to live. That's my motto!

But to answer your specific comment, Buzzardbilly, although the effect of 527s in your area may have been the powerful against the interests of the powerless, I truly believe with time, the powerless will harness this to equally compete. Perhaps not so much on local issues, it's true, but certainly on national priorities.

In any case, thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

-CW

In larger markets, I can see where more voices would have access to raising the funds for media time.

The Washington Post has been running their own fact-checking operation. They award "Pinocchios" for how big a lie the ads are. Four Pinocchios is their worst award though, I think.

Just FYI...

-CW

That was funny! I kinda like the idea, but choosing a neutral party would raise a whole 'nother fracas, I bet...

-CW

When someone agrees with them, they are manna from heaven...

When someone disagrees with them, they are evil atrocities...

Personally, I would like to see a "BS" rating assigned to each 527 as. A non-partisan group like factcheck.org would give the ad a BS rating from 1 to 10...

10 being the gospel truth and 1 being "it's ripe, senor!!!"....

Michale

Michale.....

However, I would like to see major election reforms in the area of political ads. I think that there is too much profit being made by big corporations when the funds raised by these groups could be better used to help advance their issues in a more concrete way.

...Stan