« New Reform Ohio Now Polling Numbers | Main | AL-Gov: Seigelman Indicted - Again »
Thursday, October 27, 2005
VA-Gov: Tim Kaine Ad Controversy
Posted by Bob BrighamVirginia gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine has found himself at the center of a scandal for bowing to right-wing racists and cancelling ads on an African American blog:
So now the Kaine campaign is in the silly position of responding to a racist while withdrawing support from an African-American. Which could have been avoided if they had talked before running scared. [...]But what really and truly bothers me is not the ad pull. You play football, you wake up sore. But the responsiveness to the opposition.
The Kaine campaign has never been responsible for the content on this site. They just buy space. They have probably disagreed with my stands. But they respond to people who will not vote for them, want them to lose and uses anything to pressure them.
And in the end, hurts them more than if they blew it off. The campaign didn't need me to go after them, but I am, because they are cowards. [...]
Cowardice should not be rewarded.
Tim Kaine is running a cowardly campaign, from the get-go he has been running scared, trying to offend as few people as possible.
But this scandal highlights a larger misconception about blogs, blogads, and netroots support.
It is important for people to realize that advertising on a blog doesn't mean the advertiser endorses the content of the site, all it means is that a decision has been made that the advertiser is interested in individuals who may read a particular blog.
Likewise, a blog running an ad doesn't mean that the blogger(s) endorse the product being advertised.
This shouldn't be a hard concept to grasp.
For example, Tim Kaine is advertising on the Swing State Project right now, yet here I am calling him a coward. Earlier in the year, Tim Tagaris didn't hold back his thoughts on Bob Casey, Jr. when Casey advertised here. In fact, if memory serves me right, both Tim and I wrote some hard hitting posts while the ad was running.
Look at the other two ads running. One is for Steve Westly, who is running against Phil Angelides in California's Democratic gubernatorial primary. As the lone SSP writer who votes in California, I'll still be voting for Angelides and plan on devoting a good deal of posts next year to why Angelides inspires me with his campaign. As for the final ad, you all know it is a long story but we still approved the ad and it hasn't changed any of our thoughts on the issue.
When you see an ad in a newspaper, you don't assume that the editorial board supports the advertiser so don't make the same mistake with blogs. Likewise, you don't assume that advertisers support the view of the editorial page.
Politicians who think they can buy support by running ads are just as misguided as politicians who pull ads for what the blog posts.
UPDATE: (Bob) Now this is on the front page of Daily Kos. Kaine is going to lose a great deal of support and volunteers because of this fuckup. Even more, now he won't have blogosphere support for rapid response during the home stretch of the campaign. Tim Kaine's cowardice may have just cost him the election.
Posted at 01:56 PM in 2005 Elections, Netroots, Scandals, Virginia | Technorati
Comments
"Virginia gubernatorial candidate Tim Kaine has found himself at the center of a scandal for bowing to right-wing racists and cancelling ads on an African American blog."
Wow. That's ... a loaded statement.
found himself at the center of a scandal - Typically a scandal is something that makes the main figure look bad. In the first coverage of this, Kaine looks like the good guy.
bowing to right-wing racists - Where'd that come from? Only the Kaine people know who complained to them about the Gilliard cartoon. Why do we assume the complainers were racists?
cancelling ads on an African American blog - Boy, that makes it sound like the Kaine people are being racists and targeting a black blogger. That's how Gilliard spun it to the reporter, too - "I guess they have a problem with black people expressing themselves in print." Why not assume they have a problem with a cartoon calling a black guy "sambo" and giving him minstrel make-up?
Posted by: Gary Johnston ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.swingstateproject.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at October 27, 2005 02:50 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
Is that what Steve Gilliard runs over there? An "African American blog?"
Posted by: Kagro X at October 27, 2005 04:41 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
Are you kidding me?
Some bloggers egos are out of this world. Tim Kaine has been running a very courageous, tough, and hard-hitting campaign from the get-go. Not to mention smart. Anyone notice how his poll numbers went from ten down to two up?
And you're throwing him, a good, progressive Democrat in a red state with a real chance of winning, out the window because he took his ad down from a blog? Think about what you're doing, and who you're hurting.
Posted by: JamesSWVA at October 27, 2005 05:49 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
I agree with JamesSWVA. I think it was a mistake to post onto your blog (which people actually read, as opposed to the guy you linked to) and it's ridiculous to overhype this as some sort of "controversy" where there really is none and trying to do the typical thing where you allow reich wingers to somehow bring you down from the left and erode support of the better candidate in favor of a far worse one, and then regret this kind of stupidity later on (Think Bush-Kerry). I will do everything I can to nip this in the bud. Please print a retraction of this posting. If you don't, I'd at least hope that it moves off the front page as quickly as possible.
Posted by: progressivemuslimnj at October 27, 2005 06:01 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
Actually, Steve Gilliard has far more traffic than the Swing State Project.
Don't worry about this showing up here, worry about it showing up on the front page of Daily Kos.
I'm not going to print a retraction, Kaine is a coward and I believe in rewarding good behavior, not condoning this crap.
Posted by: Bob Brigham at October 27, 2005 06:23 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
I completely agree with James and ProgressiveMuslim -- this is a good man who will make a good governor, and its an excellent opportunity for a rare red-state win south of the Mason-Dixon line. While I certainly am not someone who says "Support any Democrat because they are a Democrat," this only seems to be becoming a "scandal" because, as James point out, some egos seem to be a bit bruised about God knows what. So Bob, you can call Tim Kaine a coward, and punish what you see as "bad behavior," -- and maybe post a story about it on the day Jerry Kilgore is sworn in as the next Governor of Virginia.
Posted by: IndianaProgressive at October 27, 2005 06:30 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
This is a very petty moment for the liberal blogosphere. Even Steve admitted that it's not so much about pulling the ad, it's doing it without the courtesy of an explanation. Even if I agreed that the Kaine campaign was rude for not talking through it with Steve, it hardly means they're cowards who deserve to lose the election.
Kaine's ad placement is perfectly defensible. That doesn't mean he's a coward because he doesn't want the last week of his campaign to be taken over by that issue.
The "outrage" over this non-issue demonstrates everything that is wrong with what Paul Hackett calls "typical Democrats." Don't let the perfect become the enemy of the good, people!
Posted by: Steve M at October 27, 2005 06:32 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
Kaine has run his entire campaign as a coward, it was bound to boil over sooner or later. Kaine has been receiving very bad advice.
Posted by: Bob Brigham at October 27, 2005 06:54 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
This is why we keep on losing. For the Republicans winning is everything and they play to win no matter what. Sad to say that we have to use the same tactices if we are to become a majority party again.
Posted by: out-there at October 27, 2005 07:09 PM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment
"...for bowing to right-wing racists."
So now the act of speaking out against an obviously racially motivated use of racial epithets and images is an act of racism in itself. That certainly covers all the bases. This is real Alice in Wonderland stuff.
Gilliard has made a habit of using racial epithets to attack black politicians and then claiming victimhood as a black blogger. The irony is just too rich.
"Tim Kaine's cowardice may have just cost him the election."
(Snort) No, it will be his courage in confronting a blatantly racist blogger that accomplishes that, if you have your way. Good luck to you.
Posted by: mikem at October 28, 2005 01:23 AM | Permalink | Edit Comment | Delete Comment