As happens with every good thing, this blog has run its course. We had a great run, the lot of us. Left, right...in between? We tried to bring you insight from every angle in a format that allowed expression of opinion, interplay between reader and writer and a bit of humor. I think we largely succeeded.
We all appreciated those who read our words regardless if you agreed or not. I for one drew immensely differing opinions. The written word, whether written by me or the exquisite Peggy Noonan is an absolute expression of the one who wrote such words, just as the comments were.
I find it refreshing that this medium has as much of an impact as it does. I'm not sure if blogs and public opinion are changing the world, yet one would hope that we have some small effect, whether it be a change in a Senate vote or a change in one single opinion. Politics have changed because we--and I mean you the reader as well as me the commentator--have paid attention and every single news story is a chance for us to comment and call those we elect on the carpet.
I've been writing online for nearly five years and I've posted things that were erroneous. At the very second I was proven wrong, I posted a retraction and let my story stand because that is the way of the citizen journalist. I wish that the pros would do the same. Perhaps with our persuasion they will.
Anyway, thank you for your loyalty and thank you to all the great writers assembled here. Thank you to Kathleen, David and Chris for holding this thing together and turning out a great product. Honestly, being highly skewed to the GOP end, I thought I would be highly edited. No way, my opinions were exactly like I wrote them and I believe every other writer enjoyed that same freedom. That's what made this blog roll along day in and day out.
Mostly though, I wish to thank our readers without whom we would have stopped in December. You were hard-core and read us, commented to us and picked off every single written mistake we've made. That's how it should be. I enjoyed the debate and hope to keep it going elsewhere. We are at a major crossroads in our great nation and debate is exactly what is needed. Personally, I got down and dirty with Manny, Veg and others and enjoyed the perspective you brought even though I couldn't agree any less. Thanks to all the guys and girls out there who took the time to tell me I'm an idiot--until now it was only my beautiful wife who thought that was the case. Please visit my other blog and continue the debate.
Finally, let me say that AOL tried something a bit bold here--a group blog with numerous opinions and numerous takes on daily events. That had not really been done previously and I applaud them for taking the risk and assembling an eclectic mix of bloggers. I was once asked via a commenter why the right-wing was so well represented. That's easy, we're Republicans and any chance of making money was not to be ignored so we wrote every day so we didn't miss out on the paycheck.
Thank you all and I will truly miss you all. Almost a year of my life was spent doing this and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Respectfully.
Scott
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 2)
16. Scott, Scott, Scott...it took six weeks for your testicles to descend far enough to answer my question and the first words out of your mouth are lies? No where in your maudlin goodbye does it say that AOL shut you down.
That aside, if that's your best answer, then I cleave to my original position that we are losing in Iraq. We are squandering men and material with no tangible gain anywhere in sight and certainly no coherent strategy to turn your fantasy into reality. I do, though, find it humorous that a chickenhawk has the chutzpah to suggest that I hate the country that I sacrificed six years of my life for including eighteen months in the Persian Gulf.
Good luck in life, Scott...perhaps, if you grow up and stop letting talk radio tell you what to think, you'll come to the realization that it is (you do know what the meaning of IS is, right?) possible to love one's country and dislike its government, and that true love isn't the same as blind devotion.
Oh, and Larry....do me a solid and say howdy to Moe and Curly for me. :)
Ventrue at 7:30PM on Oct 12th 2007
17. Thank GOD this blog is finished. While Scott's heartfelt goodbye may be sincere, the truth is the conservatives on this blog lied and mislead good people on a regular basis, all the way up to the end.
Scott says he said erroneous things. Yes, yes he did. In fact, he's been wrong about pretty much everything, just like NixGuy and the others who blamed "IslamoFascism" (What the heck is that?! It doesn't even make sense! The two words molded together are polar opposites!) and attempted to demonize liberalism as socialism and lied in order to push a neoconservative agenda that has destroyed this country.
Did he correct those mistakes? Rarely. More often, he resorted to personal attacks, especially upon me, for proving him wrong. While he and Nixguy relied on studies from conservative think tanks, I and other liberal bloggers brought you studies from non-partisan SCIENTISTS.
Fare well, AolElectionsBlog, and may you never return.
Ken Brosky at 9:18PM on Oct 12th 2007
18. Hmmmmm ... upon reflection, it seems Scott's childish retorts speak for themself. Truly, he represented all that was wrong with this site. For those of you who truly enjoy the freedoms this country was founded upon, I highly suggest you pick up "We The People" by Thom Hartmann and then follow it up with "The Shock Doctrine" by Naomi Klein.
This country can be taken back. The middle class can return. But we can't let people like Scott rule us with fear and lead us into wars that only create a profitable military industrial complex.
God bless America.
Ken Brosky at 9:19PM on Oct 12th 2007
19. The middle positions never had sufficient voice in this AOL Elections blog. It mirrored well the partisan politicians we have at the highest levels of our government, but thereby only emphasised the problem with no thought to the solution.
Steve Bonomo at 7:05PM on Oct 15th 2007
20. "The sting in any rebuke is the truth."
Ben Franklin
I hope you did not scar Ventrues PC sensibilities
for life.
Well said Scott, well said.
Pete at 7:53PM on Oct 17th 2007
21. Thanks for the final post Scott,i enjoyed this..GOD SPEED AHEAD
katiej at 11:40PM on Oct 24th 2007
22. For those that enjoy a satirical look on things, check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnN8IlMSgyg
J. Fields at 6:37AM on Nov 18th 2007
23. For those that enjoy a satirical viewpoint, check out this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnN8IlMSgyg
J. Fields at 6:37AM on Nov 18th 2007