I sent the following message to the Queen of the Blogosphere, Cindy at The Pink Flamingo, which has more visitors than Paris Hilton's boudoir: "SmartPolitics101 moved up 1.5 million spots on Technorati (meaning somebody showed up finally) Soon, I shall control the entire Western world. I'm now putting jokes at the head of each column. Yes, I've become a techno-slut.If Ron Paul is so smart, how come he has two first-names?If Ron Paul ran with John Murtha, what would their campaign slogan be? Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dummer.On my other
primary site, I put up the following plea today:
BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL!LATER TODAY (TUESDAY), I'LL BE LAUNCHING A RENEWED "
BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL" EFFORT. AS YOU SEE ON MY
BLOGROLL SIDEBAR, THERE ARE ALREADY ABOUT 35
BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL ALREADY LISTED -- PEOPLE WHO STRONGLY SUPPORT AND WRITE ABOUT LT. COL. RUSSELL. MY PERSONAL GOAL BY NEXT SPRING IS TO HAVE 300
BLOGGERS 4 RUSSELL , REPRESENTING JUST ABOUT EVERY STATE IN THE UNION. I ASK EVERY BLOGGER 4 RUSSELL TO CONSIDER AT LEAST
A SMALL FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION TO GIVE THIS CAMPAIGN A FOUNDATION FOR VICTORY. BECOME A BLOGGER 4 RUSSELL BY LEAVING A
COMMENT ON THIS SITE, OR BY E-MAILING ME AT:
TALKTOP65@AOL.COM. THANKS! IF YOU DON'T HAVE A BLOG (YET), YOU CAN JOIN THE GROUP BY SENDING YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS
In all candor, why do I want to collect a long list of
Bloggers 4 Russell?
One reason is that, at the early stage of a campaign, it's essential to create "buzz" (word-of-mouth) about the candidate. Lt. Col. Russell is running in one district (out of 435) in an area of Pennsylvania few people know much about.
Bloggers are people who tell others what's going on, and Russell needs them a great deal at this time, even though it's 11 months prior to the election.
I have another motive: Many
bloggers for Russell will
contribute money to his campaign, and they'll encourage others to do so. People who go to William Russell's web site will be motivated to offer their support -- even if they live far away from the 12
th Congressional District.
In 2006, Diana Lynn
Irey ran against
Murth and got a remarkable 7,000 contributions. In 2008, William Russell could get as many as 10,000 contributions, partly because so many people dislike John
Murtha, but mostly because Russell is such an excellent human being.
In politics, many people feel strongly about issues and candidates. However, very few individuals -- fewer than one-in-50 voters ever contribute money to candidates they favor. In the case of "big donors" ($200 or more), they're a relatively rare breed. You can check the statistics by going to
opensecret, which outlines who contributes and who doesn't.
John
Murtha, William's opponent, isn't going to have any trouble raising money. If you check out his "contributions" for 2008 on
OpenSecret, you'll note that he is approaching a million dollars at this point. In the last election, against Diana
Irey,
Murtha raised more than $3 million -- much of it from "contributors" he'd paid off with large piles of taxpayers' money.
You can see how it works by looking at this report:
http://kxmb.com/News/Nation/178645.aspor by checking out the
Seattle Times extensive report on
Murtha trading federal dollars for campaign contributions.
In short, Murtha gives lobbyists and companies your tax money -- and they give him a chunk back as a "contribution." William Russell, an honest man, won't be doing any of that.
Lt. Col. Russell is not some rich guy. He's an Army brat who served his entire adult life as a soldier -- in unfriendly venues like Desert Storm, the Balkans, and Iraqi Freedom.
I'm trying to generate funds for Russell by asking people to contribute a small amount. By that, it mean a sum around $25. My assumption is that people who make one small contribution will make another one or two in the future. Also, they might urge friends and family members to follow their lead in contributing money.
People who live paycheck to paycheck perhaps can't contribute money. However, they can contribute their time and effort, and that's eventually going to count for a lot.
A campaign can't run on thin air. It costs money for heat and light in a small headquarters. There are phone bills and travel costs. A few full-time staffers need to be paid, as they won't have time to work at another job.
What about me? I have never revealed what I contribute to campaigns, but I will now.
In 2007, as of today, I have contributed the following:
I've told William's campaign that my contributions to him by the end of December will total $400. By Election Day, 2008, I may be up $1000 for William's effort. Yes, I believe in him that much.
I'll also give some modest support to
Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina.
At my urging, one staunch McCain supporter (Brad) contributed $50 to William's campaign. I told him I would contribute $50 to Senator McCain's presidential campaign.
I'm not exactly "made of money" (to say the least!). I live in an old mill town in a house that cost an unremarkable $70,000. My wife has been disabled since 1991. We also have a partially disabled child living with us. I'm semi-retired, and I don't live in a mansion (to say the least!)
I'm contributing to William's campaign (and the others) because I want this to be a country my children and grandchildren will love as much as I do. I want William to run a campaign that will make John
Murtha sweat -- and possibly reflect for perhaps a minute on the errors of his ways.
The candidates I support (and I'd add Gov. Sarah
Palin and former Gov. Jim Gilmore, who is running for the Senate in VA) are truly exceptional people. Yes, they're all conservatives, but what they want to conserve is what's best about America. If we don't financially support good men and women, we'll end up with a Congress overflowing with John
Murthas, Nancy
Pelosis, Ted Kennedys, Howard Jeffersons (the man with $90,000 in his freezer), and Harry
Reids.
So, please consider giving a small contribution (hint: large is also okay) to
Lt. Col. William Russell. Trust me, you won't regret it.
"And as for YOU, you shall have NO earmarks for Christmas!"
