Thank You for Visiting BSB - A Proud Member of the BlogPac and Net-roots Com-mun-ity

So before the witch hunt starts - hear me out.

There are a lot of very well meaning people involved with BlogPac, and the movement supporting it, that have never caused any ill will or harm in Ohio...these are people that are giving their all to aid something they believe in. The concept of organizing the regional (and national) political blogospheres is fundamentally an idea that I support (hell, at rootscamp less than a month ago I was pushing for a model similar to the BlogPac concept). Coming out against efforts for organization now would be hypocritical of me. Also, I believe one of the core purposes of this site is to effectively encourage and cause political action in Ohio. Joining and supporting the regional network that BlogPac is working to create could ultimately benefit Ohioans if it means our candidates have a broader online fundraising pool or more exposure.

That's all fine and good, but I do have qualms, as I'm sure many of you do too.

First, I have a natural tendency to distrust folks associated with the national 'sphere. As another blog put it in the last few days, "the Boyz, THE BOYZ, burned the ground in Ohio." That's a good way to put it. During the 2006 Senate Primary tactics were used while national blogger Jerome Armstrong was employed that left an unpleasant taste in many Ohio bloggers mouths. Claims stemming from conjecture alleged background searches were ordered against multiple bloggers, personal information was threatened against some of us, and the national 'sphere (which had been working with many local bloggers like OH-02) did a 180 after national folk planted foot instate (repeated again for emphasis...no allegations here..I'm just repeating popular sentiment). The candidates in this particular primary weren't the issue - the point was that many (but not all) Ohioans involved in the 'sphere felt used and abused. To this day throughout Ohio a lot of those tensions haven't been put to bed. Since '06 the boys at the top of the national 'sphere have largely ignored Ohio...until now, I guess (if you're still waiting for my Kos - BlogPac connection, keep waiting. Chris Bowers, a Blog Pac board member, posts at at Jerome Armstrong's site, mydd, and that Armstrong coordinates with Kos...yadda yadda yadda).

Whew. That's kind of cathartic to write. Anyways...

This was never about $180 bucks. Sure, the money's nice and it'll help out a lot of people out there who are hard pressed to pay their hosting bills...but it's not an issue at this site (heck, I'll be using the BlogPac check to pay a year's worth of hosting...but since I've got less costs now, I'll be putting roughly the equivalent of that grant from my own personal funds back into the Ohio blogosphere...more on that later). Rather the issue was who this site associates itself with. I want to make it very clear that I'm nervous about even getting close to folks at the national level. However, I think the possible benefits to Ohio are worth a shot at patching things up. We don't need to dwell on what's happened in Ohio in the past, but we can still forgive without forgetting and move forward to '08.

Finally, from the comments in my first post, I got the impression that many Ohio bloggers are inclined against this blogpac offer. If you've read this far, I think you can see that I think those feelings are probably fair considering the history and nature of the Ohio 'sphere. However, BlogPac is working on creating a nationwide network of community sites...(that's folks like BSB in every state...God help us if there are more redenemy's or Alan Harvard's out there), fundamentally, that's a great resource for us to be on board with in our efforts to spread what's going on in Ohio and cause political change. At the heart of it, I think this could help Ohio.

Questions of independence, transparency, and the like are fine...and I hope they continue to come in good faith. Ohio's lucky because we've got one of the most independent, transparent, and open political 'spheres around. At this site, that's not because of Russell or me, it's because we've got readers that keep us honest (and likewise, those same readers keep the rest of the Ohio 'sphere honest). Whether you agree with this decision or not, I hope you respect the manner in which I've pursued it and disclosed it with our community. I also hope you'll join me in trying to find the most effective way we can impact Ohio in '08.

Now, feel free to see if I float or sink.