Blogs in the road to success?

This is disturbing. A favorite blogger, whom I have read for months, has shut down his blog because he is running for office, and apparently his political opponents (like this anonymous human) have seized on personal details in the hope of defeating him. I hate to see this happen, but because I am not running for office and know nothing about the complexities of the race he's in, I'm in no position to offer advice.

I like to think that if this happened to me, I would simply turn up the volume, and scream about my opponents' tactics in my blog. Perhaps bloggers who are contemplating a run for office might think about an advance strategy of making the blog a centerpiece of their platform from day one. That way, no one could play "gotcha!" and act as if they've found "dirt."

On the other hand, if you're really ashamed of something and don't want anyone to know about it, discussing it in your blog might cause problems later. But even then, if you disclose it in advance, I don't see how it could really be held against you by any fair-minded person.

Of course, "fair-minded" and elections are a bit like like tar and water....

Win or lose, I do hope notGeorge returns!

Bloggers are human beings too -- and I while I don't know the details, I suspect moral sanctimoniousness may be at work here.

As well as the usual political skullduggery.

posted by Eric on 03.26.04 at 02:30 PM





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Comments

I often wonder if the Flea is an academic career-ender. My political views are not going to please everyone. The fact I even * have * religious beliefs may be suspect to some (possibly many) academics.

My thinking is this: too many people have died, too many people continue to risk their lives, that I should be free to express my opinions. I owe them more than I owe my career.

Ghost of a flea   ·  March 26, 2004 08:46 PM

Nicholas, if they ever mess with you, I will personally raise as much holy hell as humanly possible, and I know I won't be alone. If your academic colleagues don't believe in freedom of speech and freedom of religion, then you are absolutely right to defy them; you may even have a moral duty to do so.

You're right. Too many have died, and too many have risked their lives for us to allow our freedom to lie fallow, or go to rust. The frontier of free speech is the next best thing to the physical battlefield.

Eric Scheie   ·  March 26, 2004 11:58 PM

Dear Ghost of a Flea and Eric:

It's too bad about you two. I love commenting in Classical Values, but, between the two of you, you left nothing for me to say on this issue. You both said it all, and so eloquently, in a couple short comments what whole shelves of books have been written to say. All I'll say at this point is that: 1) I agree with every word you said, and 2) even if I didn't, I would defend to the death your right to say it.

"Give me the liberty to know, to utter, to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties."
-John Milton



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