KagroX is right. This is a direct attack by the right wing to marginalize the blogosphere. They know that the blogosphere is one of their biggest threats in the coming cycle. It will be the source that undercuts the SwiftBoating, that captures the macacca events, that runs the video of McCain saying exactly the opposite about Congressional authority over warfare when talking about the Balkans.
We know about the Google, and how the tubes work. We know how to run the wayback machine. We also know how to connect the dots--to write the meta-story that journalists are so bad at writing.
The barrier we face is that the media (as FDL's coverage of the Libby trial is making very clear) is just as concerned about openness and transparency as is the right wing. They also want to marginalize the left blogosphere, because we keep calling them out on inaccuracy and bias, doing so with reason and evidence. Hence there will be no story about hate speech by Republican candidate staffers. McCain won't fire Hynes for sins that far exceed Amanda's snark. They won't even call them on their eliminationist rhetoric. They treat Amanda's crack about tithing Catholics as a serious comment, while dismissing Coulter's death threats as just joshing among friends.
So, if you're one of the candidates in the single digits, you've got a chance to make some news. If the two bloggers are fired, don't even call them up. Go right to a press conference and publicly offer them jobs. Say that this is about stifling the netroots, and you won't stand for it--that none of your fellow candidates should stand for it.
And then read some of Hynes' material aloud. Ask the media why this has not been covered. Ask them why John McCain can stoop to hiring people who specialize in smears without losing his straight talk, maverick image.
Hire Amanda. Make a statement. You're not gonna be able to outspend Clinton or Obama. So take a shot.
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