For all the debates this year, the one between Rep. Ron Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee got most people talking here in The Swamp. AP photo by Jim Cole.
by Mark Silva
Some September we've had.
The war, Gen. Petraeus, MoveOn.org, and Rush Limbaugh have captured our attention. The college student Tasered at John Kerry's appearance at the University of Florida and Sen. Larry Craig's suspended resignation have turned our heads. Alan Greenpan and Dick Durbin. President Bush and Barack Obama. Immigration. All big draws. But what does it say about the presidential campaign underway, and the crowded field in both parties, that the two candidates who have drawn the most comment in these Web-pages are Republicans Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee?
Here is a review of the stories in The Swamp that drew the most commentary this month (as of this hour, of course. The Swamp is always churning, so the rankings may as well.) We'd normally opt for a Top 10, but seeing how some of the top-draws covered the same subject matter, we've expanded the count to include the Top-15 draws of your comments:
No. 1: What does it say indeed that the debate sparked by Ron Paul, the Texas congressman, and Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, topped the list for September commentary: 241 comments.
No. 2: That Tasering at the university that also calls its football stadium the Swamp was big: 145
No. 3: The "phony soldier'' story that Rush Limbaugh calls a "phony story'' has drawn considerable commentary and contoversy, which, of course, is what the radio talk show host thrives on: 137
No. 4: The war captured our attention for much of the month, starting with President Bush's surprise stop in Iraq on Labor Day, and continuing with Gen. David Petraeus' report to Congress and then the president's declaration that the U.S. will withdraw troops with a "return on success.'' But this story, about Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois drawing the line on war spending bills drew: 102
No. 5: Ron Paul again, reminding us that highway accidents claim more lives than 9/11 did: 97
No. 6: Rush Limbaugh again, trying to explain that "phony soldier'' comment of his and in the process expanding his "genuine phony soldier'' roster to include Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.): 96
No. 7: More on the Taser: 94
No. 8: With President Bush poised to veto the expansion of health care coverage for the children of lower- and middle-income families, Sen. John Kerry's call to the president to try getting on the "right side of history'' drew some notice in the Swamp: 90
No. 9: Immigration is hot this year, with virtually any mention of the debate over any consideration of relief for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States -- OK, Mr. Dobbs, "amnesty for aliens'' -- a big draw. The Department of Homeland Security suing Illinois over immigration law enforcement was big: 88
No. 10: That newspaper ad that MoveOn.org took out calling Gen. Petraeus "General Betray Us'' was good for some controversy, with a story about the Senate resolution rebuking MoveOn drawing: 79
No. 11: Who would have thought that Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman and model of reserved rhetoric, would have it in him to say the Republicans have only themselves to blame for losing Congress and to chide President Bush for a shy veto pen? Greenspan: 76
No. 12: President Bush held another press conference this month, in which he noted his own average grades as a student. He does get an A for keeping taxes low, he suggested, but admitted that "I got a B in Econ 101": 67
No. 13: More on that MoveOn.org vote in the Senate, the vote on which Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, a Democratic candidate for president, took a walk: 61
No. 14: Sen. Larry Craig's lawyer insists that the Republican senator from Idaho had only one intention when he walked into a men's room at the Minneapolis airport in June: "To go to the bathroom." But Craig, insisting he only wanted the whole case to "go away'' when he pled guilty to disorderly conduct in August, announced at the start of this month that he would resign from the Senate -- today, in fact. Now he is seeking to overturn his conviction, and in the meantime plans to stick around the Senate. Craig had called himself "an unwanted distraction:" 61
No. 15: At that press conference of his this month, President Bush suggested that the GOP has a good record on which to run in the black community. Tom Joyner, the radio talk show host, was calling that record into the question the other night when he noted the no-shows at a debate for Republican candidates at historically black Morgan State University: Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, John McCain and Fred Thompson. Bush's claim about his party's prospects drew some notice here in the Swamp: 56
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Comments
It is SO interesting that Ron Paul tops the numbers twice. Most partisan civilians are getting sick of the divisionary tactics of our public servants. Not only do we pay their salaries, but they beg us for millions more to support their campaigns, We need to keep that money working for ourselves in this country.
Ron Paul has raised the least amount of money and yet he is becoming extremely popular because of his "smaller government" attitudes. Everyone should pay attention to what he is saying.
Posted by: Giraffe | September 30, 2007 10:25 AM
Ron Paul has raised the least amount of money and yet he is becoming extremely popular because of his "smaller government" attitudes. Everyone should pay attention to what he is saying.
Posted by: Giraffe | September 30, 2007 10:25 AM
Well, is he Bringing Us Hope™; is he Taking a Fresh Approach to Politics™? Does he wear great looking ties?
Sorry, we're not buying Ron Paul.
Posted by: 2x0=... uhh... | September 30, 2007 12:00 PM
Well Ron Paul invokes a lot of comments because the well informed passionate voter is tired of the nonesense from most politicians and Ron Paul is a breath of fresh air. He is honest, has a record of supporting the Constitution, and doesn't support bills just because it is politically correct. As to the money issue raised by the previous comment, Ron Paul has raised over $1 million in online donations in just the past six days from people who care about this country.
Posted by: Victor | September 30, 2007 12:08 PM
Your recap shows an obvious bias against Ron Paul. Why? He is a popular statesman-a true man of the American people. Who among you doesn't want individual liberty and Constitutional law?
Posted by: Victoria | September 30, 2007 12:13 PM
"But what does it say aobut the presidential campaign underway, and the crowded field in both parties, that the two candidates who have drawn the most comment in these Web-pages are Republicans Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee?"
What does it say? It says the number of comments bears little relation to the importance of the topic.
And by the way, the above article by Mark Silva, the same reporter who goes postal after any minor misspelling by a Republican, misspells the word "about" as "aobut". Perhaps Mark Silva should apply Mark Silva's standards to--Mark Silva--and write a column on how Swamp reporters are notorious for bad spelling.
Posted by: Bruce | September 30, 2007 12:24 PM
Someobdy woke up on the wrong side of the Swamp today.
Posted by: Mark Silva | September 30, 2007 12:27 PM
I think it's wrong to bust bloggers' chops for spelling errors or typos or gramatical errors. The commentary is fast and loose after all, and for most of us writing isn't our profession anyway.
I don't know if it's accurate to say that Silva "goes postal" about Republican typos. That's a subjective judgement, I guess. "Postal" is in the eye of the beholder and all.
However, we've all seen The Swamp reporters make these errors and I have to ask: didn't most of you folks major in English or Journalism?
Posted by: Ferd | September 30, 2007 12:39 PM
The Limbaugh story will go down as the day Mark Silva sold his journalistic integrity for some left wing acceptance.
Nice job Mark. All that training and hard work gone down the drain.
I bet you never thought it would end this way.
I guess if it can happen to Dan Rather, it can happen to anyone.
Posted by: JD | September 30, 2007 1:19 PM
I can see by these posts that Mark Silva hit a nerve giving The Limper a little heat. Stop salivating boys, The Limper loves it. Limpbag makes a living off of spewing hate everyday of the year. He's a puss if he can't take it.
Posted by: bill r. | September 30, 2007 2:47 PM
Let us be honest. Mark, the only thing that elicits the most response from people on the swamp is you, frank james, and your colleagues. I guarantee that if you went and surveyed all the times you have been attacked by Bruce (and not only) for polls for grammar for not being a big enough journalist for being biased for being the prop of leftist media you'd be number one in this political race. What does that say about the political race? That like moveon, rush, iraq, immigration, spending, craig, and the black vote politics have become a method of soliciting emotions. So each time you write something they can not but help taking it personally, or see it as an attack on them. I think you should actually try it sometime and cover the coverage of the swamp or the "liberal" bias. See how many people will react, and that how they react will be equivalent of two people breaking up. Somehow however, they never seem to get over you because they show up at your house the next day.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 30, 2007 3:03 PM
Ron Paul has raised over a million dollars in a week, and I have given him 1k. I also volunteer through the meetup groups.
What are the "bloggers" doing? Making jokes and calling Ron Paul supporters crazy while the establishment media puts the People to sleep? Wow, must be a lot of work...
I don't see the Paul hating keyboard warriors putting their money where their mouth is or volunteering for their candidates. They just rely on the establishment media and Wall Street to pump the money into their candidates for them, while they sit at the keyboard, badmouthing people, making jokes, and eat corn chips.
Posted by: Nonlinear | September 30, 2007 3:10 PM
Posted by: Nonlinear | September 30, 2007 3:10 PM
I have to say I don't really see much Ron Paul mashing.
Posted by: bill r. | September 30, 2007 4:08 PM
Bill R., the Left lead by unAmerican folks like moveon.org, media matters (run by John Podesta and George Soros), dailykos and any other left wing outfit spews more hate in one minute that Limbaugh does in a decade.
Posted by: John D | September 30, 2007 4:40 PM
My, Brucie, you're a very scary fellow. Do you see misspells in your sleep? Do you see Swamp reporters conspiring to undo all your "valuable" contributions to the Swamp dialog? What I want to know, is why you're not on the list above? None of the other 15 events has been nearly as entertaining as your rants. Postal?, I'm still laughing, you nut.
Just so you know how much we appreciate you keeping us amused, I'm posting these lyrics by the Happenings (and complements of Larry Craig):
"See You in September" (Aka, Ode to Bruce)
I'll be alone each and every night
While you're away, don't forget to write
Bye-bye, so long, farewell
Bye-bye, so long
See you in September
See you when the summer's through
Here we are (bye, baby, goodbye)
Saying goodbye at the airport (bye, baby, goodbye)
Summer vacation (bye, baby bye, baby)
Is taking you away (bye, baby, goodbye)
Have a good time but remember
There is danger in men's restrooms, Brucie dove
Will I see you in September
Or lose you to a summer love
(tapping my foot 'til I'll be with you)
(counting the hours and the minutes, too)
Bye, baby, goodbye
Bye, baby, goodbye
Bye, baby, goodbye (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
Bye, baby, goodbye (bye-bye, so long)
Have a good time but remember
There is danger in men's restrooms, Brucie dove
Will I see you in September
Or lose you to a summer love
(I'll be alone each and every night)
(While you're away, don't forget to write)
See you (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
In September (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
I'm hopin' I'll
See you (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
In September (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
Well, maybe I'll
See you (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
In September (bye-bye, so long, farewell)
Posted by: dt | September 30, 2007 5:26 PM
Enough of the journalistic back-slapping for posting blogs that generate heat from we, the American People.
How about Poster of the Month, culminating in to a Poster of the Year elimination contest, the winner receiving 100 shares of Tribune stock, and the 1st runner up getting 200?
Posted by: Smirky McFlightsuit | September 30, 2007 7:01 PM
Nonlinear, Good post. I'm very active in grassroots politics, too. The only thing worse that "armchair campaigners" are the dozens of "armchair Generals" who seem to have more inside knowlege of these wars than the rest of us. We're dealing with the most secretive, opaque government in memory and these idiots act like know-it-alls.
Posted by: Giraffe | October 1, 2007 5:59 AM
"But what does it say about the presidential campaign underway, and the crowded field in both parties, that the two candidates who have drawn the most comment in these Web-pages are Republicans Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee?"
It says that the American people are fed up with political rhetoric and are ready to get down to brass tacks and FIX our country. We'll do that with Ron Paul, thank you. Throw around whatever insinuations you want about the heat resulting only because the "field is too crowded".
Typical. One day you're gonna wake up to find that this is no longer a game, that this country has erupted in an all out CIVIL WAR, and YOU will have it on your hands as much as anyone for ignoring the voice of the people.
Posted by: Anonymous | October 1, 2007 6:56 AM
"But what does it say about the presidential campaign underway, and the crowded field in both parties, that the two candidates who have drawn the most comment in these Web-pages are Republicans Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee?"
It says that the American people are fed up with political rhetoric and are ready to get down to brass tacks and FIX our country. We'll do that with Ron Paul, thank you. Throw around whatever insinuations you want about the heat resulting only because the "field is too crowded".
Typical. One day you're gonna wake up to find that this is no longer a game, that this country has erupted in an all out CIVIL WAR, and YOU will have it on your hands as much as anyone for ignoring the voice of the people.
Posted by: Brad Linzy, Evansville, IN | October 1, 2007 6:56 AM