blogger interrupted

There is no known universe in which it is kosher for a person on the government payroll to own, and attempt to control the editorial content of, a media outlet.  Apparently, Russell Hughlock thinks such a universe exists.  Time to disabuse him of that notion.

Russell Hughlock owns the domain for Buckeye State Blog, the platform he used to squeeze for himself a nice little six figure gig in state government with Rich Cordray, first at the treasurer’s office, and now at the attorney general’s office.  Modern reports today on an email Russell sent last night, to Dave Potts, the administrator at BSB, and himself, attempting to exert editorial influence on BSB, to get BSB to declare Jennifer Brunner’s US Senate campaign dead.  Russell’s email reads, in part.

“It seems pretty obvious to me that Brunner has no support for this Senate bid at all.”

Modern’s response is deservedly lengthy, but here’s the kicker.

And if I honestly thought Brunner’s Senate campaign was “dead in the water,”  I’d write that.  But I don’t.  And I’m not going to write it simply because a guy with a cushy state job with Rich Cordray is telling me to, domain name rights be damned.

Russell has tried to spin Ohio bloggers in favor of his boss Rich Cordray, or ODP, or Ted Strickland, or in this most recent case, Lee Fisher, trading on the cred and relationship he built with Ohio bloggers, since the day he got on the state payroll.  As repulsive as this has been on every occasion, as Modern notes, we have all kept our mouths shut about it, because of that relationship.

this is not the first time Russell has comeout of the woodwork with spin that struck us all as nothing more than carrying water for his boss or ODP… a practice we bloggers have for far too long given Russell a pass on because our past association and affection for the guy.

In fact, earlier this year, Russell called me on the phone, out of the blue, to tell me to “shut the fuck up” about Lee Fisher.  That’s a quote, from an hour long conversation in which Russell brow beat me over this Senate race.  My response?  Lee Fisher knows how to shut me the fuck up, just like ODP knew how to shut Russell the fuck up – they put him on the payroll.  Since that didn’t happen for me after my conversation with Russell, I haven’t shut up.  You know why?  Because you either sell out, or you don’t.  Russell sold out.  Nothing wrong with that.  We all expect Russell to now be a shill.  Russell has duly acted as such.

The problem is, Russell likes to have his cake and eat it, too.  He likes to claim there’s a line between his home email address and his paycheck, which Russell can freely prance over any time he wants, to reach into the blogosphere to throw his dwindling weight around, so he can run back to his boss Rich Cordray, or Chris Redfern, or Ted Strickland, and claim credit.  See!  I shut up BSB!  See!  I shut up Russo!  See!  I set up an interview with Matt Naugle!  WHEEEEEEE!  Well, that shit don’t fly.  It certainly wouldn’t have with Russell when Russell was a blogger.

Russell Hughlock is small change in Lee Fisher’s poker game, for sure.  But that just shows how desperate Lee Fisher is to get Jennifer Brunner to not file for this race.  Lee is so terrified of Brunner filing that an ever opportunistic hack like Russell Hughlock thinks he can gain some level of credit to trade on for changing the editorial on the blog whose domain he still owns.  And after accomplishing such a herculean feat, Russell can then run around banging his chest saying look, only that lunatic Russo is on Brunner’s side now.

Well, nice try, dumbass.  Here’s a thought for Rich Cordray.  Rich, why don’t you sit down with your douchebag employee and remind him that he is, in fact, on the taxpayer payroll, and that he’s the one who should shut the fuck up.  Or, alternatively, Rich, you can cut Russell loose so he can vigorously argue in the blogosphere he so terribly misses his deeply held conviction that no one supports Jennifer Brunner, how dare anyone argue with the great blogfather Russell Hughlock, you should all just shut the fuck up.

Bottom line – Jennifer Brunner is going to file her petitions.  She’s going to get on the ballot.  Then Lee Fisher is going to lose his primary against her.   And in the meantime, Russell Hughlock can go fuck himself.