The Final Smear

If you don't know who Howard Rich is, stop reading right here.

This just hit this weekend. It would seem that THE STATE newspaper in South Carolina, and the Portland OREGONIAN have transgressed by pointing out the Howie Rich connection. So, semi-anonymously, two shadowy "smears" appeared, each of which used the same "talking" point:

This is the page for the South Carolina smear.

http://www.scresponsiblegov.org/...

This is the YouTube video of their television ad.

http://www.youtube.com/...

This is the "announcement" of the smear blog (which only dates to November as its origin) on the anonymous attack blog "Citizen Activist"

http://citizen-activist.blogspot.com/...

Monday, November 06, 2006
posted by Helen Langora* at 8:08 AM

* an anonymous pseudonym

This is the "announcement" made 9 hours and 59 minutes earlier:

http://nwrepublican.blogspot.com/...

Sunday, November 05, 2006
posted by I am Coyote at 10:09 PM

"I am Coyote," by his own admission is former (and present?) Rich operative Ted Piccolo, who lives somewhere in Washington state at an indeterminate location.

And here is the "smear" website.

http://nottheoregonian.blogspot.com/...

In both cases, the attempt is made -- as per usual -- to paint those in opposition to Howard Rich's schemes as whatever Rich is accused of. Here, they claim that the owners of both papers are "out of state" millionaires trying to control the state's politics.

Probably too little, too late, but noteworthy nonetheless even if, as per usual, the "humorous approach" used in the Oregon blog is sophomoric at best.

Who ever told these people that they were "funny"? It seems to be a cruel joke to play on a cabal that is, by all evidences, utterly humorless.

Courage.