Blogometer Update II

NY 20: The Fog Of War Ads

   TPM Cafe's Greg Sargent tries to get his head around "one of the strangest political ads" he's seen, issued by incumbent Rep. John Sweeney's camp.  (Vid's here.)  He writes:

It stars a mother whose son died serving in Iraq who's nonetheless endorsing the pro-war Sweeney.  She says she told Sweeney that her dead 21-year-old son had been traveling in Iraq in a vehicle without proper protection.  Sweeney said he would "help."  The mom concludes: "I don't believe in the war.  But I do believe in our soldiers.  And John Sweeney.  For the sake of every mother who's child still serves."  It's an intriguing gamble.  The Sweeney campaign seems to be willing to remind voters about the war he voted for and supports -- in hopes of persuading voters not to hold him accountable for it.

The Gold Star mom featured in the ad, Kathy Brown, says she met Sweeney on the day she buried her son, Pfc. Nathan Brown.  According to WNYT, Kathy Brown had this to say of her endorsement of Sweeney:

Sweeney was the only politician who answered her calls and offered to help after her son's body came home.  "He told me, 'I voted for this war.  I'm sorry.  I'm one of them men that sent your son off to war and that killed him,'" Brown recalled. ... She says her son was riding in an unarmored truck when he was killed and that Sweeney hit the ground running with the issue to try to make sure it didn't happen to another soldier. ... Brown acknowledges her support for Sweeney may seem awkward to some but thinks her son would approve.

Sweeney's provocative ad will surely garner attention in what's turning out to be a tough re-election battle against Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand.

CA 11: Unmandering The Gerry

   James Joyner at Outside the Beltway discusses an ambitious project jump-started by the Sunlight Foundation that promises a new "citizen journalist" approach to campaign coverage,starting with Cali's contentious 11th District.  Joyner quotes The Examiner's Dan Gillmor:

First: Working with citizens in the district, we hope to create an online repository of every scrap of information about the candidates, issues and campaign. ... Second: We will pick an element of this data collection - the advertising - and add value through further reporting and analysis. ... Third, and most important: We will use what we learn to create a template for the 2008 election and beyond.

   Joyner likes the idea, but is resigned to the reality of Frankendistricting: "I'm less optimistic about it becoming an exemplar for other races, though, given that so few seats are actually competitive because of extreme gerrymandering and the ability of incumbents to buy their re-election through constituent service and pork barrel projects on our dime."  Commenter Triumph, then later Dan Gillmor himself, tip Joyner that Talking Points Memo's Josh Marshall is already a pioneer in the endeavor.  Gillmor: "[T]he work Josh Marshall has been doing to involve citizen journalists in the reporting process is one of the inspirations for this and several other projects now in the works.  The basic notion is that the community collectively knows - and can learn - much more than any news organization."

MI 08: Now That's What I Call A "Congressional Probe"

   Rep. Mike Rogers (R) is the latest GOP politico to have his own goofiness splayed out across the Net.  This time, fortunately, Rogers was in on the gag, performing a skit at a charity fundraiser for a senior center.  Chris Bowers at MyDD has the photo (check the chili pepper boxer shorts) and--along with Michigan Liberal's matt --an amusing pool of reader-submitted captions.  Some of the better ones:

• Some say Representative Mike Rogers has his head up his ass.  Where will he put it next?  (Reece)


• Those WMDs must be somewhere!  (HoosierJosh )


• "Thank you sir, may I have another?"  (Hy Dudgeon)


• Republicans: Your Body is Our Body.  (devoshead)

   Might the photo chili... er, chill Rogers' hopes for re-election?  Dem nomine Jim Marcinkoswski sure hopes so.  Bowers says he's "facing a huge cash deficit."  Could it be any worse than publicly facing a pair of novelty underwear?