NPR: Group's Offer to Pay for Positive Hillary Posts Retracted

Group's Offer to Pay for Positive Hillary Posts Retracted

From the Department of Too Much Thinking:

The folks at www.voteforhillaryonline.blogspot.com don't work for the Clinton campaign, but they really want their gal to win. As their homepage says, "God help us all if Hillary isn't elected."

Which may explain this posting from last week: "Get paid to post positive comments about Hillary." The idea: Send their grassroots readers out prowling through blogland for other political sites, where they would add comments like, "Hello, this is a really interesting blog. I'm glad I stumbled upon it. I understand where you're coming from but I really think you should check into Hillary Clinton. She's got some really good ideas."

Do that and the voteforhillary bloggers would pay you a buck.

But wait. There's less.

Their lawyer saw the posting, got the FEC jitters and had them cancel the scheme.

No word from Ron Paul's many online supporters on whether they'll pay you to write nice things about their guy. Would they pay out in Ron Paul Dollars?

- Peter Overby

11:58 AM ET | 11-27-2007 | permalink

Comments

From my travels around the blogosphere, this isn't as unusual as one would think.

Granted, most aren't as foolishly open as this group was, but there are tons of groups, businesses, political candidates and parties, and others who have people who go around posting positive stuff about a whole of host of issues -- for free or otherwise.

I was approached a few years ago to do just that on a part time basis, but didn't need the money that bad at the time.

Sent by Mark D | 3:39 PM ET | 11-27-2007

It's not like hillary clinton is such a great candidate. Wake up people, they are all the same, sleazy slimy, manipulative little weasels whose sole interest is their own self gratification (in nearly every sense)

We choose not to elect real leadership, because real leaders are unwilling to feed us the line of bull we want to hear, or because we just believe that real leaders don't have a chance of being elected. It's self defeatist, small-minded bull. Where is our collective American pride and courage?

Sent by Jody Sol | 4:11 PM ET | 11-27-2007

Jody, there is one candidate who is not sleazy: Ron Paul. He has integrity, authenticity, brilliance, experience, and enough following to raise $4.2 million dollars in a single day, the most ever raised in a 24-hour period by any Republican candidate. One of his biggest followings is young people. They "get" him and his message of freedom and prosperity.

Sent by Elizabeth Blane | 9:43 AM ET | 11-28-2007

Time and time again, in every election since eighteen year olds were given the vote:

The youth vote splits between conservative and liberal.

And the youth vote just doesn't materialize as expected.

Ask Bruce Springsteen and P. Diddy after John Kerry's loss in the 2004 election, and as Hunter Thompson quipped, "Betrayed again!"

In politics as in sports, bet your mind, not your heart.

fred call

Sent by fred call | 12:19 PM ET | 11-28-2007

Actually, Jody, the bigger problem is that it costs so darn much that, when combined with the media's tendency to focus on fluff instead of substance, makes most people uninterested in getting anywhere near public office.

Publicly financed elections would solve most, though not all of that.

As far as Ron Paul goes, when one digs deeper into his message and some of his big-time supporters, the luster fades quickly.

Unless one is interested in completely ruining our financial system and giving white supremacists a large voice in our national discourse. Then yeah ... he's a wonderful choice.

Sent by Mark D | 12:29 PM ET | 11-28-2007

E-mail this Page

Recipient's e-mail address:	» Up to twelve addresses, separated by commas.
Your e-mail address:
Your name:
Personal message (optional, 600 characters max):
Your NPR member station:
Are you a member of your local NPR station?	Yes No
Would you like to receive information from your local NPR member station? (see NPR's privacy policy)	Yes No
Please send me updates from NPR.	Yes No

(Information collected by NPR will be used solely for internal NPR or NPR member station purposes and only if you selected 'yes' above. See NPR's privacy policy for more information.)

Tom Regan

Blogger

About Us

This year's election cycle has been one of the most exciting in memory. At the NPR News Blog we'll do our best to bring you interesting, informative -- and controversial -- stories from our own reporters and bloggers, as well as the rest of the best of the Internet and blogosphere. And we hope you'll let us know what you think as well.

Want to learn more? Be sure to read our Frequently Asked Questions and our discussion guidelines.