Great to see that there continues to be so much good investigation going here. Hats off to SusanG, georgia10 (do you ever get any sleep?), nybri and all the others. (My earlier diary can be read
here:
There have been a lot of breakthroughs in the past week BUT much of the information is spreading in a distorted way which will seriously damage the investigation.
Most importantly, let us be clear about what has emerged vis a vis South Dakota. It is here that we must be closely focused as there appears to prima facie evidence of a co-ordinated dirty tricks campaign at work.
The material dug up by Nashua Advocate has been subject to misinterpretation. The admission that the Daschle campaign had seen photos of "Jeff Gannon" (a matter first raised by the secretly bankrolled Thune Blogger, Jon Lauck at South Dakota State).
PLEASE BE CLEAR - These photos did NOT include the x-rated snaps from the Escort sites. All we know is that the Democrats had been appraised of the original www.JeffGannon.com site - a fairly modest (if vainglorious) home page which while revealing a gay side to Gannon's identity gave no hint of the escort service and the raunchy hard-core self-portraits that went with it.
People running around thinking "Oh my God, the Dems knew about this and did nothing!" are feeding into a Rovian like error which can only lead to diffusing the situation.
As I said the South Dakota campaign is where the strongest case for proving that a co-ordinated (ILLEGAL) dirty tricks strategy was in play. If pursued, other links will be uncovered. The Nashua Advocate seems to be the most vigorous in breaking this story so I'd recommend visiting them for updates. http://nashuaadvocate.blogspot.com/
MORE THOUGHTS ON GANNON DEVELOPMENTS
"I'm baaaaack!"
With these words Gannon announced his return to the public forum. (Am I the only one who remembers this as the signature phrase of the evil demons who possessed the television in the movie, Poltergeist II? Am I the only one who finds Gannon's use of it chillingly apt? Is Gannon a malicious sprite brought into our homes by the media??)
At any rate, Gannon's full frontal (pun intended) is just a distraction. By keeping him out front, his promoters and employers can stay in the shadows. The shadows are where we should be looking. In all his press appearances I continue to be surprised that no one has asked the most obvious questions:
1) How did you GET this job? (Was there an ad in the Washington Blade??)
2) Who paid you? As a Tax defaulter isn't Gannon liable for his arrears? Shouldn't the IRS be curious about this matter? Especially as they already have a judgement and the power to impose a lein on Gannon's earnings?
3) If Gannon truly was just a day pass visitor to the Press Room, how is it that he seems to always be in the same 4th row seat? Are we to believe that this is just "accidental?" - that that seat is not somehow reserved for Talon News? Is it not true that the White House demoted Helen Thomas recently, moving her away from her traditional front row seat? A seat earned by her seniority n the Corps? Okay, so we know the White Press Corps RESERVED seats for the permanent "hard-pass" press members. Is it at all plausible that Gannon's seating (again, check the tapes - he always appears to be in the same seat) was simply serendipitous and that the Press Office had nothing to do with assigning him a seat? ie - granting him the status of a "hard-pass" journalist?
4) As I noted in my original piece from last Saturday, Gannon very, very likely made his first appearance in the Press room from "backstage" and must have been signed in by someone.at one of the other WH entrances. Is there anyway to find out who?
5) The behavior of Bobby Eberle and his shutting down of Talon News is VERY telling. While Gannon keeps lap-dancing for the media, Eberle's retreat is the real story. The Houston Chronicle told us that Eberle's phone had been disconnected last week because he "can only take so much of a beating" over the page's political slant'. Correct me, but the reason why people wanted to talk to Eberle had NOTHING to do with the "political slant" but because they wanted to understand how Gannon came to work for Talon News.
6) In dismissing any possible impropriety, Eberle told the New York Times, "Jeff did his thing and I did mine." Huh? I've been involved with editors and producers in print and broadcast media for at least 30 years and I have to admit this strikes me as one of the strangest things I've ever heard. Pardon me for noting this, but isn't this more like what Brad and Jennifer tell the Inquirer after they've separated?
7) Back to the Houston Chronicle I couldn't help but be amused that Eberle is quoted as assuring them that Talon was a "straight news site" . At the end of the item, spokesperon Jennifer Ohman directs former Talon readers to, of all places, the Drudge Report. "Until the Talon News site reopens, Ohman said she would direct devoted readers seeking dependable information to the Drudge Report." The content-free Drudge Report? Why not News Max or World Net or one of the other partisan news services? Is there more to Drudge's role in all this than we've thought?
Don't be lulled into thinking that this story is irrelevant. The attempt by the right-wing to close ranks is a hollow bit of bravado and will prove unsustainable if pressure continues to be applied.
While many progressives recoil from the "homophobe" accusation, remember, the administration's cruel and shameless Tartuffery on the status of gays is inexcusable. They may pretend that they LUV gays and gay prostitutes and that that their anti-marriage movement has no bearing on REAL gay people and gay families, but that is an out and out lie. The religious right has no intention of ending there. Isn't time to talk about the Anti-homosexual agenda? They want to take kids away from gay parents, void civil unions, abrogate any corporate or federal commitments to spousal benefits, and void any and all gains achieved by the GLBT community since Stonewall.
As if that were not bad enough, their systematic evisceration of any and all public health efforts to reduce the risks related to HIV has seriously hurt efforts to contain the disease.
By telling kids, falsely, that condoms don't work they are merely encouraging a new generation to skip condom use when they do have sex ("Why bother, they don't work anyway?")
This is not about mere hypocrisy - it's about murder. Check out
this weekend's story showing the rapid spread of HIV among the African-American community! Two years of abstinence-only sex ed virtually guarantees an unacceptable spike in infection rates. Bush supporters implicitly think that people who do get exposed deserve to die. That is the policy the Republicans endorse.
These people fight their gutter style politics on a visceral level far removed from policy and have convinced a good deal of the American people that they are the party of pure "Republican" family values: that THEY are the party that will "keep the gays in their place." (I won't even go near what many Bush loyalists have to say about the party keeping the "blacks' in their place though that is certainly also part of their appeal.)
Exposing the fact that the Bush White House is the GAYEST in history does have attendant risks (we still don't know if compromising other members of the press corps was part of Gannon's mission) this chasm between manufactured image and the reality is enough to call into question all the rest of the administration's hypocrisies. (Like the preposterous idea that George Bush is for the ordinary guy!) and must be pursued.
I attach here, for information purposes only, come photos of the key players in Bush White House and the current leadership of the RNC. Of course, I have no intention of suggesting that any of these individuals are anything but the good heterosexual Christian family men they claim to be, even the ones who have yet to meet the right girl.
The Republican has never been as hierarchical as it is now. Moderates are excluded and legislators, in general, are left out. The White House holds the reigns and distributes the spoils. For all intents and purposes these are among the most powerful movers and shakers within the Republican Party.
(This does not purport to be a complete lists of the players either central or marginal to the Gannon story but.....)
Karl Rove:
Rove's right hand man, Tim Goeglein:
RNC chairman, Ken Mehlman:
GOPUSA founders, Bill Fairbrother and Bobby Eberle:
Recommended to devoted Talon news readers - Matt Drudge
Ideologue - Grover Norquist
On a lighter note, can ANYONE explain just what is happening in this picture???? (This would be good for a caption contest - might put it up in Open Thread for that purpose.)
On another note I did post a diary last week, as a response to Howie Kurtz's typical MSM position that sexuality has nothing to do with any of this, that might help illuminate a bit more about the Republican party and it's long standing pattern of closety gay issues.
Clearly, I also agree that there are many vitally important issues to be addressed - and that the scandal of Propa-Gannon might be minimal in the greater scheme of things but I no longer remain confident that reasoned argument and evidence makes a dent in the religious-like cult the party has built around Bush. This can. The third-rate burglary that brought down Nixon was nothing compared to horrific crimes like the secret bombing of Laos and Cambodia, yet.......
Also, the other evening I attempted to post a diary looking at the current state of Play regarding the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland. For some reason it would not format properly. (As with this diary, I drafted it in Word and then pasted it up) The lack of formatting made it really difficult to read and I apologise for that. While it is still worth a read (if it doesn't give you a headache) I am planning to do an extended diary drawing on more issues than just the recent bank robbery which I while repost in time for Patrick's Day.
Again, deepest thanks to all here who have taken the time to read my diaries and offer feedback. It is greatly appreciated!