As I’ve mentioned here on the site before, there’s a big progressive blogging conference that takes place each year called Netroots Nation. Well, this year, it’s scheduled to take place in Providence, and, a few days ago, I got an email from the good folks at Democracy for America encouraging me to apply for one of their scholarships. Well, without giving it much thought, I filled out the online form, and hit submit, thinking that I could always go back and edit it later. Sadly, though, that doesn’t seem to be the case. So, I’ve been debating these past few days as to whether or not I should even mention it here. But, as I need your votes to win, and, as I’d very much like to represent Michigan at the event, I don’t think I have much choice. So, with that in mind, here’s the link to my not-very-good application. Now, please go and vote for me.
So, did you do it? Did you vote for me?
Seriously, I’d really appreciate it if you would. Right now, there’s a high school girl in the lead, and I’d really like to beat her. I’m sure that she’s great, and that she’ll turn out to be an incredible force for good in the world, doing more than I could ever hope to, but she has her whole life ahead of her, whereas this may very well be my last shot. (I hate to play the sympathy card, but I’m pretty much the same age as Andrew Breitbart, and we all know what happened to him.)
So, vote for me, OK?
Oh, and if sympathy doesn’t work, how about appealing to your pure, Libertarian self-interest? If you give me your support, you’ll have me there, at the conference, reporting everything back to you. I’ll be like your own personal Edward R. Murrow… OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. I know I could be your Gretchen Carlson, though, if you just gave me a chance.
In all seriousness, even if you don’t vote for me, you should follow that link and vote for a Michigan blogger to attend. This is a great event, and, given the current state of affairs in Michigan, we could really benefit from having a delegation of dedicated people there, learning the ins and outs of online community building, and exploring the new tools we have at our disposal to combat the forces of ignorance and fear on the extreme right.
And I hate to play the guilt card, but I have been staying up late almost every night for the past ten years, writing my ass off for you guys, and it does only take a minute to register your vote.
So, will you do the right thing and vote for me?
Thank you.
update: Thanks, folks. As of right now, I’m number 13, which is pretty respectable, given that about 150 people are in the running. The high school girl is still about 300 votes in front of me, though. So, if you haven’t weighed in yet, please do.
37 Comments
If we send him, will he come back?
If we send Maynard away, who will keep Steve Pierce from power?
Voted! Can’t wait for the posts from the conference. Also please come back afterwards :)
time to call in favors. you have friends on fb with 500+ friends, etc. if Posch could win with Hugh, ask him to plug you to his network. and shadow/militia – send to that group. as a last resort, go on a hunger strike until you win.
You’re now on the Democracy for America front page, and in the top 20.
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/netroots_nation_scholarships
I look forward to reading your notes from the I Hate America conference.
Perhaps your chances would go up if you offered to lead a session.
Troll acquisition and maintenance?
Community building through intimidation?
Secrets of getting rich quick online?
Continental ball shaving techniques?
I like your wallpaper. Is that in your home?
Mark is always surrounded by a cloud of insects.
And I take it that’s not a coincidence that this “progressive” event is going to be taking place in hometown of H.P. “Call of Cthulhu” Lovecraft.
Will you be opening a hellmouth?
http://www.hplovecraft.com/creation/sites/walktour.asp
Do you have to bring your own hooded black cloak, or are they provided?
The imagery is very telling. It says to me that Mark is a cockroach, ready to bloom into a beautiful cockroach, at this event. And, yes, black magic is probably going to be involved.
I voted, though I did not get a sticker.
Thanks, folks. I’m now number 13. The high school girl is still about 300 votes in front of me, though… So, if you haven’t weighed in yet, please do.
And, yeah, it’s going to be totally satanic. I think we might actually try to raise FDR from the grave.
I bet the high school girl is ballot stuffing.
Cthulhu is out there, waiting to give his keynote address.
http://i.imgur.com/JUyCF.jpg
Well, the high school girl was at the top of the page so I voted for her. It’s like the pole position. She has the more powerful engine so they get slower people out of her way from the start.
But she is more attractive than you anyway. So only an idiot would vote for somebody other than her.
That, my friend, is really progressive.
I love politics. Even fake cyber politics is fun.
The girl is a Republican plant.
You’re two votes away from cracking the top ten.
The competition doesn’t end for a week or so. I’m sure we can find some dirt on her by then.
Look at the liberals rewaching for the only thing they know, demonizing the other person even if she is only a high school girl.
Eel ” I’m sure we can find some dirt on her by then.”
Elf “The girl is a Republican plant.”
Peter Larson “I bet the high school girl is ballot stuffing.”
Must really hurt your pride being beat by a school kid. I bet even Palin could beat her. LOL!
John, that’s either a lame troll or some serious frontal lobe density.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tongue-in-cheek
So, should I take it that you didn’t vote for me, John?
I’m now number ten, by the way.
okie dokie. Voted and encouraged my facebook friends to do the same. Good Luck!
Everyone beating you is from a big city. That’s go to mean something to the people at Democracy for America. 200 Ypsilanti votes have to be worth at least 1,000 Cleveland votes.
John,
This is just how things are done in Detroit. It’s nothing personal.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T09XWRkq5M
Can someone please photoshop a MarkMaynard.com t-shirt on a photo of Tonya Harding, and mail it to that girl who is in the lead, asking her to withdraw from the competition?
And I like the idea of zombie FDR riding back to power on the back of Cthulhu. Please summon the forces of progressive darkness and make that happen.
And if someone makes me an image of a zombie FDR crashing through the waves, on the back of Cthulhu, I will get it tattooed on my chest. I promise.
I’ve now got 200 votes, which places me at #9 in the competition. If I want to make the jump to #8, I need 42 more votes.
Oh how the mighty have fallen.
You’ve slipped to 10th place.
It looks like they’ll have to sacrifice the goats, and hate America without you.
I was at NN in 2009. Way awesome. A real eye opener. Ya meet all sorts of folks who just go out and DO stuff and suddenly it all seems so easy.
Best of luck to you. I gave you my vote.
Dirtgrain, Andy C, Cousin Vinyl, Egpenet, rhymes with satan, JoF, Sards, Bards, teacher patti, BoBs, councilpersons, brackache, dead presidents, murphs, dolphins, Pierce and EOS…
Mark should be beaten by a lot of things, but right now we, as a Mark Maynard community, are losing to Toledo.
T0-le-do.
Love it and/or left it, we all know this is an exceptional blog that takes more effort than most of us can sanely sustain. Just vote. A parting shot. It doesn’t mean you agree with Mark but acknowledge the effort.
We might not beat a beauty tween, but I think we can at least beat Toledo.
I’d like our mayor and council members to take hold of a little local pride and start us off. It’d be a nice win for Ypsi. I like to think that together we can make a good run at this thing.
Civic pride and all.
Where have you been OEC? Voted twice already!
100% participation from the “Glen S.” household!
Hey OES,
Long answer:
I’m here on Cross St., doing well. Decent job. Very good church. Great family and friends. I’m mostly just existing in my slightly charmed life. I still love Mark, a lot more than he knows, and read most all of his posts (just not hour on the hour). In the past couple years I’ve posted a handful of silly anonymous comments (level quotable Clementine) but have not engaged in any prolonged debates.
When I left the blog there was a lot of fairly intense stuff happening with my sister. Sibling abuse=anger. Anger=not myself. Not myself=self censorship.
Since then, my sister is doing okay. But I realized I don’t want to spend my day thinking about how to craft hostile replies to typeface. It’s just not good for me to spend my day thinking about how to defeat or antagonize others. It didn’t work out to be very Jesus.
Truth is, I kinda like you, EOS. We have a history. I think we’d like each other (maybe I’m overestimating my likableness) in person. I’ve met Dirtgrain and he/she was really, truly likable. I’d much rather talk to you in person but this is what we got.
Even Mark, I find, has a few likable qualities in person. But as part of my persona on this blog (and it has been a fair bit persona, truth be told) is to both affirm and challenge Mark, I’ll leave with a critique. Mark’s profile said to affect change: “You get people pissed off…”
That sounds rather Tea Party to me. Mark.
In some ways I’m ready to comment here again, but I don’t want to exist perpetually pissed off. I’m just done with pissed off. It hasn’t made me be a better person or march in any parades. It’s just made me angry. Anger is dimwitted.
I’m also done with pride (aka: the last word). The fruit of pride is the same as the fruit of anger: self.
But as much as I can talk about transcending pride and anger, I’m not sure if I can, in this forum. Quite yet.
That’s where I been and am.
See you in a year or two my beloved hostile ally. Seek and find. Love and give love. On earth as it is.
Live in it.
That I’m typing to EOS at 1:25 a.m., having sworn off this blog, just indicates that Mark is pretty effing amazing.
OEC
Thanks for coming back into the fold, OEC. It’s good to have to you back where you belong. As for my comment about “getting people pissed off”, I don’t necessarily regret it, as I think, in order to bring about change, and motivate people, you first need to demonstrate to folks just how bad things have gotten, but I would have liked to have been more artful in the phrasing. As I mentioned, though, I haven’t been able to figure out how to edit my application. There are several things I’d like to change about it.
There’s an old man in the lead now. He’s got a at named Chomsky.
http://www.democracyforamerica.com/netroots_nation_scholarships/1581-cecil-bothwell
That guy in the lead is running for Congress.
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