Tue 27 Dec 2005
BuckeyeSenate has tracked threatening anonymous posts under the handle “thisblogishorses___” back to a Sherrod Brown staffer using the IP addresses of the posts and linking them to emails sent out for the campaign. (This all stems from reports on the blogs of Sherrod Brown’s actions during the ODP Christmas party.)
I was expecting this sort of stuff would be happening in the 2006 cycle. I didn’t expect to see it from Democrats. This does give bloggers a good reason to allow anonymous comments since it can be used as a trap for internet novices.
Brown’s efforts to have the blogs “neutralized” have been a complete and very expensive failure.
ADDED: Live from Dayton has more.
BTW, this is not the first time that a staffer got into hot water for their online Sherrod Brown advocacy.
UPDATE: This comment by Cleveland AFL-CIO’s John Ryan over @ Buckeye Politics does provide some resolution:
The Brown campaign did address this, as you know. As I explained to you over the Christmas holiday after you inquired through me, Sherrod has put forward a directive to his paid campaign staff that they cannot blog on any blogs other than his own. This is true whether they post anonmously (as many blogs, including the Cleveland AFL-CIO blog allows) or under their name.
UPDATE 2: Tim Russo @ Buckeye Politics responds.
you’ve GOT to be kidding.
brown needs to drop out of the race now. his campaign so far has been a complete and total embarrassment.
As a Repubilcan, I’m having fun watching this one
But seriously, it’s pathetic that a Brown staffer would do something like this.
Brown is “old school”. This is what we’ll see from his campaign until the primary. It would be a shame if he is successful in destroying the Hackett campaign with these sorts of tactics.
His people are the masters of losing strategies once they get face-to-face with a Republican. DeWine will out-Brown Brown.
Oh C’mon…I got more cajones than this. Stand up and own your shit. At least be a man about it. Shouldnt he at least be pretending to fire whoever the staffer is?
This man’s word means nothing. He says one thing and does another. He is just as superficial and weak as every other career politican. Does anyone really think this man has the balls to do or say anything of real substance? I dont. I dont think he has a shred of integrity or backbone to do right by this state.
It’s easy to do the big stuff when the time comes. The measure of a man is how he handles the little everyday things. On the grand scheme of things this isnt really that big a deal. But the way the Brown has let this roll out tells me I sure as hell DO NOT want this kind of guy in my government.
You reap the shit that you sow. Sherrod Brown deserves just that.
Right….
And we haven’t even heard about all the dirt that is in Brown’s closet.