Ron Williams allows that Dana’s DelawareWatch blog exists
Attorney General Beau Biden has agreed to investigate a complaint from online blogger Dana Garrett about last year’s election campaign of state Republican Rep. Nick Manolakos.
Manolakos — who ran against Korn — was granted a paid medical leave by Red Clay School District but he rescinded it after announcing for office.
Stunning.
I have to wonder if the AG is interested in this because it’s easier to go after a freshman, because there are plenty of other legislators that could stand some looking in to, too …
Then again, maybe they’re on some list, somewhere, too …
In order to support my current label as a cynic, I think we ought to plan ahead for when some misguided harebrain politician decides that laws must be passed so politicians don’t keep getting into trouble via the internet. Its coming.
It’ll be like the South Park show on Catholic Priests where they all get to together to figure out how to keep the young boys from telling on them. The lone voice in the Vatican who says “Why don’t we just stop having sex with young boys” is largely ignored. It’ll be a while, and after a few attempts to limit the 1st Amendment, before some of the politicians figure out its their actions, not bloggers reporting on their actions, that is the problem.
Dis, my knee jerk reaction is to predict an internet-targeting version of McCain-Feingold, but I think that any action against political blogging would more likely be driven by the print and broadcast media. The newspapers in particular must feel that they’re losing their power to shape opinion, and of course they’re losing tons of money to the alternate media. Most likely would be a rash of slander lawsuits, followed by providers having to reveal identities of bloggers, then maybe legislation of blogging as campaign-related speech subject to regulation. Ron Williams probably resents the fact that he can’t call a bitch a bitch.
Hey, maybe if newspaper folks could drop the pretense of being objective they’d be happier? It seems to work in Britain.
G, the traditional 4th Estate has the option to join the electronic age. For the media to oppose free speech, even on the competitive internet, they’d be shooting themselves in the feet. Politicians, on the other hand, either must limit blogging in some way or stop stealing. Which way do you think most pols lean?
My money is on Richard. He won his suit against the County in Chancery Court. He scared the beedoobers out of Roger Roy so bad that Roy decided he needed to spend more time with his family rather than run against Richard.
Manolakos is in deep foo here and he’s defrauded the rate payers in the Red Clay School District. Of course the R’s in the 20th District have a long history of this sort of shenanigans but that was before Sheriff Korn came to town.
Wouldn’t it be sweet if that third seat we need to pick up next year was Richard’s from the 20th? I’d love it!
A special in the 20th? Sounds like fun.