1115.org

As the 109th Congress gets underway, Republicans from the House and Senate gathered this weekend at a resort in rural West Virginia. Now that their legislative agenda has been laid out, the issue at had is how they can best achieve their goals in this term. Taxes, Social Security, gay marriage, tort reform and other hot-button issues were all on the agenda, but an issue near and dear to us made an unexpected appearance:

In another presentation, Senator John Thune of South Dakota introduced senators to the meaning of “blogging,” explaining the basics of self-published online political commentary and arguing that it can affect public opinion.

While it is certainly amusing to picture a few hundred old white men trying to get their head around blogs (and the internets in general), the main point was lost on the writer of the above-quoted story, the New York Times‘ David Kirkpatrick: Thune’s campaign surreptitiously paid two South Dakota bloggers for favorable coverage in his recent close election win over former Senate minority leader Tom Daschle.

While not illegal, the practice of journalists accepting payment in exchange for coverage is highly unethical. The bloggers and the campaign were responsible to at least disclose their arrangement as was the case with certain liberal bloggers and the Dean campaign.

The recent cases of Armstrong Williams, Maggie Gallagher, and Mike McManus are prime examples of how far this administration will go to prop up corrosive policies at the expense of propriety.

The fact that Thune is even a Senator is due to voter suppression and illegal absentee ballots. It is telling that he would be held up as an example and be chosen as the one to explain the ins and outs of blogging to other Republican elected officials.

Download blogging software. Check.
Hire hack writer who can read administration talking points. Check.
Secretly put a bunch of other bloggers on the payroll. Check.

Watch the votes roll in.