Buckeye State Blog - Brian Rothenberg - Blog Police chief - Comments

Not the coat, nor the boxers

pdh — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 08:22:51 -0700

but the tie!

Bloggers who wear ties are always appropriately dressed. It lends a certain gravitas to their thoughts. Or maybe it just restricts the blood flow to the brain, which passes for gravitas in some quarters.

Actually, I've found that holding my breath while commenting works, too. That way I can work in the shower. But maybe that's just me.

You are gonna get hot plunderbund

Alan Harvard — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 07:48:22 -0700

Maybe if you wore a suit coat and boxers that would be good enough?

Jeff Hess . . . PJs Rock.

Alan Harvard — Thu, 01 Jun 2006 07:46:45 -0700

Why did you stop wearing PJs?

PJs

plunderbund — Wed, 31 May 2006 22:20:02 -0700

don't mess with my PJs. my favorite are my Guinness ones, but I like my red and black ones too. nothing like PJs, however, I am sure to only blog in my suit and tie...for credibility purposes.

"You better get politics or politics will get you" - my grandmother

"Communications Director"?

Alan Harvard — Wed, 31 May 2006 20:02:31 -0700

I am amazed that the Democratic Communications Director in a state of 11.5M people doesn't know how to handle a bunch of kids in their pajamas.

Oh no wait . . . amazed . . . but not suprised.

I see it differently

LisaRenee — Wed, 31 May 2006 18:05:49 -0700

It takes two people to have an adversarial relationship just as it takes two to have a mutually beneficial one. Despite the poking some of you do it's deeper than that. If the problem were just related to Brian then it would have been resolved by now because if those others were all truly very responsive indeed then I believe this would have been handled.

That's the way I see it, and I've seen the same good cop/bad cop routine played here. Where the front man who takes the majority of the heat isn't the one making the plays.

And yet one state over in Pennsylvania . . .

David — Wed, 31 May 2006 16:41:08 -0700

From Chris Bowers at MYDD

At the center of the transformation of Pennsylvania politics has been an extremely vibrant, emerging progressive movement statewide. For those of you who still believe that fighting internal Democratic battles is somehow a waste of progressive resources, you need to look no further than to Pennsylvania for counter-evidence. While the newly revitalized progressive movement in Pennsylvania has locked horns with the party establishment, the result has not been drained resources and two separate, warring factions. Instead, the result has been a tremendous upswing in pro-Democratic Party activity in Pennsylvania that has benefited both the new progressive movement and the party establishment. Our new progressive movement is working--the old ways of either simply falling in line behind the party leaders or bolting the party / sitting on your hands were not working. The progressive, internal reform movement has identified hundreds of new activists, resulted in a tremendous fundraising upswing, created new progressive media outlets, started new grassroots organizations, and forged new progressive social networking spaces. This is how you do it. This is how a progressive movement can win back Pennsylvania, and indeed the entire nation.

Pajamas are for wimps..

Jeff Hess — Wed, 31 May 2006 14:27:19 -0700

Shalom Y'all,

For the record, I haven't owned a pair of pajamas since I was 12 or so.

B'shalom,

Jeff

well

staff — Wed, 31 May 2006 13:37:42 -0700

I have tried the "lets start over" routine twice with Rothenberg to no avail. He is clearly more interested in an adversarial relationship than a mutually beneficial one. Why ? only he can answer. Other than the Brown campaign, everyone else on the camapaign trail is at least polite and most very responsive indeed.

all of this will make for

RMC2000 — Wed, 31 May 2006 11:40:01 -0700

a very interesting dinner conversation. can't wait to hear the details.

I don't know

LisaRenee — Wed, 31 May 2006 11:34:28 -0700

Cept to say it's going to take both sides. I wasn't invited and I wouldn't have gone. I still don't agree with the way it was done either but it's over or at least I hope it will end up being over rather than being another thing that keeps coming up.

I think part of the problem is one side has to just say "Okay let's forget all of the past bullshit and just start from this point". I know that's what I try to focus on, and I think you do that as well oh2. It's easier for me to say that though because I am on the outside of much of it.

battles

staff — Wed, 31 May 2006 10:43:18 -0700

I think you got to fight the battles in front of you. While everyone would like to come together and sing kumbaya i just dont see it happening. Too many entrenched interests not wanting to give up what little control they perceive themselves as having. See it here and in the other thread about the city mayors.

SIGH

Ohio2nd — Wed, 31 May 2006 10:28:21 -0700

I am so bored with these sorts of battles. We need to be focusing on the scoreboard.

I don't want anything from the ODP, and I don't want the ODP thinking that I've got a beaf with them. WIN ELECTIONS. That's what I am looking for.

I didn't like attacking the ODP for not giving out some tickets. I didn't think that it came off as dignified. I also didn't like how Rothenberg handled it.

Still, this isn't about us.

I was very honored to get a call from Senator Obama's chief of staff. I didn't come out looking to go, but when asked I said yes.

How do we get beyond this crap? How do we move to taking names and putting notches on belts? Most days we come off as spoiled children or worn down political hacks. I have no battle with Brian Rothenberg. He shouldn't have a battle with me.

The Chair battle and Senate primary did real damage. How do we get beyond it? Game time is fast upon us, and we've got no time for superstars looking out for themselves instead of the team.

Defensive Crouch

Ohio2nd — Wed, 31 May 2006 10:15:24 -0700

I think that this year the relationship is going to be stormy between the ODP and the blogs. Any power structure sees an outside force that it doesn't understand as a threat. It's a natural lower brain function.

Give them a year to adjust to it and eventually they will learn from their mistakes.

It is impressive how much the ODP doesn't get it.

Personally, I could care less what Brian Rothenberg thinks or feels. He isn't paid to think. He's a puppet jealous of the little children that can play without worrying about getting tangled in strings.

my beef isnt with her

staff — Wed, 31 May 2006 09:45:15 -0700

though its pretty crappy to write about bloggers without even talking to any - and then to regurgitate mindless drivel about ages and basements. The recent MTB readers survey showed that most are 30-50 and highly educated and earn decent money. My point was to highlight the stupidity of Rothenberg - coupled with his decptions in this article.

Brian Rothenberg - Blog Police chief

staff — Wed, 31 May 2006 07:53:52 -0700

It seems Brian Rothenberg, ODP press release writer went crying to the Dispatch. Not only that he seems to have had a hard time telling the truth.

Until recently, Brian Rothenberg admits, he was content to watch the phenomenon of Internet blogging from his perch at the Ohio Democratic Party, where he is the communications director.

Those days are over, and his baptism by fire to the blogosphere leaves no doubt that the medium is here to stay and also evolving.

Rothenberg and others who are paid to get the word out for political parties should take note. Someday, they��ll be hiring an assistant just to monitor bloggers and their ilk, trolling for the thoughts and phrasing, the kernels of truth that ignite conversation and consideration.

The joke is that bloggers are youngish, live in their mothers�� basements, work in their pajamas and have nothing better to do than wax away on any number of topics. Like most generalizations, that��s probably unfair.

Well Anne, if you had actually talked to any bloggers before writing your piece you would know that all of us are well over 30 and mostly married with kids, but anyway, back to Brian crying

In the meantime, Rothenberg and others are forced to navigate an unformed landscape, where few use their real names and ethics are just beginning to become an issue. And he��s been burned.

Some bloggers recently asked the Ohio Democratic Party for free passes to the state party dinner at Veterans Memorial on Saturday. Those otherwise anonymous bloggers wanted the proverbial rubberchicken dinner and a chance to hear the vaunted U.S. Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois work his oratorical magic on a room filled with true believers.

Rothenberg knows exactly who I and everyone else is. We have met in person numerous times. He also knows that the request wasn't for a rubber chicken dinner, but a chance to report on the event for our readers, since the event isn't public.

Finally, Rothenberg is concerned that in arguing for the tickets, some bloggers likened their craft to that of a newspaper reporter. Newspaper reporters may attend such events, but they don��t �� or shouldn��t �� take even as little as a salted cashew from the bowl at the bar. Reporters surely are not entitled to take a seat reserved for a paying customer. The event is, after all, a fundraiser.

He turned them down and felt the wrath of the blog.

This is just an outright lie. It was Rothenberg himself who likened bloggers to journalists - and did so in comments at Plunderbund, to which I responded

Brian,

Times are changing. I don��t think you can say bloggers are press or they are activists - it��s one bucket or the other.

It��s both and it��s neither.

Once you accept this then you realize that perhaps you need to come up with new approaches to things.

Some people get it, other don��t.

Rothenberg closes his crying session with this incredible statement

In the end, Obama paid for a blogger table. Still, Rothenberg is troubled, likening bloggers to the pamphleteers of the Revolutionary War period, without form or rules. "In time, they are going to start selfpolicing or they are going to be policed."

WTF ? We're going to be policed ? What are we fucking criminals ? whose going to do the policing Brian ? You ? You can't even keep your story straight. You need to grow up.