The WELL: inkwell.vue.268: Doug Masson - Masson's Blog: A Citizen's Guide to Indiana

#89: Doug Masson (dmasson) Thu 6 Apr 06 06:47

Thu, 06 Apr 2006 06:47:00 PDT

#88: Hal Royaltey (hal) Wed 5 Apr 06 22:27

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 22:27:00 PDT

I can't thank you enough Doug! It's been a real pleasure talking to you these past two weeks. Please do check in here whenever you can, because the political scene will be heating up later this year as the midterm elections approach. I would also encourage our readers, both on and off the Well to keep up with Doug's blog. [Read entire topic]

#87: Gail Williams (gail) Wed 5 Apr 06 16:54

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:54:00 PDT

That's such a kick. Praise gopod for typo divination! [Read entire topic]

#86: Doug Masson (dmasson) Wed 5 Apr 06 16:50

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:50:00 PDT

Special thanks go out to you Gail. Your question prompted my typo which led to my discovery that a primary candidate in my Congressional district was squatting on the ".com" version of his opponent's ".org" campaign URL and redirecting traffic. I've heard rumors that some influential local Democrats are pretty disgruntled by that kind of sketchy behavior. So that may well end up being something that decides the outcome of the primary race. So that's kind of cool, even if the eventual nominee is likely to be a sacrificial lamb regardless of what happens. [Read entire topic]

#85: Gail Williams (gail) Wed 5 Apr 06 13:34

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 13:34:00 PDT

It's wonderful to talk about political blogging with such specificity and real-world examples. Really enjoyed it! [Read entire topic]

#84: Doug Masson (dmasson) Wed 5 Apr 06 12:31

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:31:00 PDT

Thanks everybody! [Read entire topic]

#83: Cynthia Dyer-Bennet (cdb) Wed 5 Apr 06 12:26

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 12:26:00 PDT

It's been two weeks since you first joined us here in Inkwell and I thank you for your generosity in sharing your expertise and experiences with us during that time, Doug. Thanks also to you, Hal, for leading the conversation.

Our virtual spotlight has turned to a new guest, but that doesn't mean this discussion must stop. The topic will remain open for more comments indefinitely, so if you're able to continue, please feel free.

Thanks, it's been great! [Read entire topic]

#82: Doug Masson (dmasson) Wed 5 Apr 06 10:30

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:30:00 PDT

My general sense is that the Hoosiers who are politically aware enough to know who MoveOn.org is have made up their minds in any case, either for or against. Despite Republican efforts to turn MoveOn into a boogie man ala Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, I just don't think the less aware bulk of Hoosiers are aware enough of MoveOn to care one way or another. [Read entire topic]

#81: Angie Coiro (coiro) Wed 5 Apr 06 10:11

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 10:11:00 PDT

How about that kind of ad in general? - and in specific, from a progressive org like MoveOn? How will that play to Hoosiers? [Read entire topic]

#80: Doug Masson (dmasson) Wed 5 Apr 06 07:06

Wed, 05 Apr 2006 07:06:00 PDT

I saw (or rather heard - the TV was on in the background) one of those ads the other day. Now it's my understanding that Chocola has called on his Democratic rivals to join with him in condemning the ad.

The South Bend Tribune article is here: <http://www.southbendtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060404/News01/604040381/CAT=News01>

Chocola who represents Indiana's 2nd District is one of a handful of Republicans targetted by MoveOn's ad campaign. From the Tribune story:

"Instead of protecting us, Congressman Chocola has been caught red-handed, protecting oil company profits while we pay more at the pump," the ad proclaims while showing Chocola with a raised hand that is stained red.

According to the commercials, Chocola has accepted more than $80,000 from various energy and natural resources PACs since he began running for Congress "while voting against bills that would have penalized those companies for price gouging."

----

I don't know whether this is the best way to get at Chocola -- frankly, with the DeLay and Cunningham related corruption scandals and the Bush administration's huge deficits and the quagmire in Iraq, I hadn't even thought of the oil companies in awhile. [Read entire topic]