I sort of alluded to this on Friday and appreciate the advice from Hadley; in fact I did have the half rack Friday evening for my supper and will have another today for lunch split among two establishments, assuming they are both still here with the anticipated rain. However, I can’t quite ignore that other guy from Delaware – though I’m going to attempt to make him only a peripheral character in this post as much as possible.
Needless to say, it’s been a trying month for a number of local bloggers including myself. Mine happened to be on a personal and professional level away from my home computer; regardless it wasn’t assisted by some things which were said and implied elsewhere. On one point brought up recently I will say that the gentleman being questioned was the treasurer (not manager) of my 2006 Central Committee campaign and that the books were closed to the satisfaction of the state Board of Elections shortly after I was successful in winning my seat since I chose to have a non-continuing account. So let’s lay that portion of the whole sordid affair to rest.
While it’s not something I’m particularly fond of, a great deal of our local and thriving blogosphere revolves around the words and actions of one individual. I know I fall into this trap more than I should when my true purpose is to inform and convince people that the political point of view I hold is the most valid one for maintaining the strength and prosperity of our society and our nation. Yet there are times I feel the need to respond to one man’s charges and smears, even against the wishes and advice of my readers – a number I’m pleased to see is increasing but concerned that it’s growing because of a position I’m perceived to be in as a “pro-Maryland blogger.” Of course I’m for seeing my adopted home state succeed in becoming the best state possible but in this case that’s not the meaning of the term.
To be perfectly and brutally honest, at times I feel like I’m in a battle of National Review vs. National Enquirer. I say this not because I think I hold any sort of candle to the late William F. Buckley but because in my mind I could think of no other metaphor that would express the frustration I have at times. Yes, sometimes I do take comfort in knowing I have the respect of many of my peers in this field but sometimes the relative obscurity bugs me. It’s an obscurity that unfortunately has tarred my site with a broad brush, with bloggers being described as a “cancer” by one countywide candidate a couple years ago and now possibly getting a reputation for not quite being the most truthful and trustworthy types, if you catch my drift.
Further, it’s a morass that even can suck in the most talented writers I know. Since “Straight Shooter” has been outed in dramatic fashion I can say that I’ve admired her writing skill for some time on posts she’s placed at a couple websites. But she can do so much better with better material to write about than the exploits of one person, which I think simply serves to inflate his ego. It’s a shame on both sides because both started out with the best of intentions but became tangled up in peripheral issues that made them lose focus on what made them special and worth reading in the first place.
Before I become the pot calling the kettle black, by the time you read this (I’m writing this a day or so in advance so I can enjoy the rest of my weekend!) we’ll know if I managed to keep my BlogNetNews #1 ranking. (Nope, I guess not. Not controversial enough?) I know I’d like to have done so, in part because I’ve managed to make it to the top of the heap four times now but have never kept the ranking for more than one week. So I have a little bit of ego invested in this enterprise too and I’ll guiltily admit there was a brief burst of schadenfreude when I found out about the legal issues that became statewide news. On the other hand, more sober reflection caused me to think that not only would this incident make his “train wreck” (as a friend of mine calls the site in question) even more popular but it would drag the lot of us down even more in the eyes of the public.
By sheer happenstance I ran into Kathleen McLain on Friday and naturally the subject of local blogs came up. While I got the impression that she wasn’t too pleased about the number of personality-based blogs she links to through her TV station’s website, she also praised a story found on one of those blogs commonly linked to that ilk and noted it was something that probably should have been covered by her station. I countered with the old adage, “if it bleeds it leads” and the same is true for the local blogs. Some have made it a mission to combat others they don’t agree with and it’s sad to see.
Since the beginning of monoblogue I’ve kept the tag line, “News and views from Maryland’s Eastern Shore.” But I don’t cover news in the classic TV or newspaper sense, running from fire to crime scene to government meeting in an effort to give all of the happenings contained within our happy little slice of Delmarva. Rather, the news you get from me comes from items I either cover as a good reporter would because I deem them newsworthy (like the Wicomico County Republican Club meetings), from items that I find interesting which lie outside the area normally thought of as news (such as my Harris article yesterday), or different angles on events that were covered as breaking news (my photos from Friday come to mind, I was attempting to inform in a lighthearted manner.) Of course the views come from these items and others found in the news cycle that I felt were worth commenting about, along with posts to reflect my basic philosophy on political issues.
So I suppose I’m going to find out whether my newfound readership is going to stick around while I make the sincere attempt to simply stay away from the issues brought on by just one man, a guy who has managed to make himself the news but really hasn’t accomplished a whole lot while doing so. While I reserve the right to defend myself when attacked, I’m going to trust that the truce of sorts that stemmed from a complaint about being a frequent photographic target will hold in other matters as well and post accordingly. It’s time to get away from the cult and move to what’s really important, or at least worth my time to write about.
kudo’s, very well said
do you realize how vulgar and hateful veggieland is? this is your friend? disgusting!
With the e-mail “address” you left, big daddy, you are the pot calling the kettle black.
I never said I approved of the content of these websites, I’m just out to give a lot of different perspectives – so caveat emptor.
I appreciate your commentary Michael. However, I must say this: The original intention of my blog was not to write about the “expolits of one person”, but rather as an outlet for my own thoughts, ideas and opinions, as well as those of others who, under normal circumstances, would not voice them. One needs only to read my inaugural post and my titleto understand that. I don’t want to rehash the subject, but my blog only became one of “those sites” after being threatened with a physical attack for voicing my opinion. While sometimes I wonder about the evolution of my blog, and some of the comments I receive, I still contend that it is a place where balanced views can be placed. As I recently told another reader who criticized the comments I allow and let me know that was exactly what the “other party” did, I replied that to censor comments would be MORE like the other party as I would be faced with the possible trap of only allowing what I see fit. This, of course, undermines the very basis of my blog. Again, thank you Michael, I appreciate your opinion and can only hope that you appreciate mine.
do you michael? I think you have aligned yourself by now 🙂