Operation Infiltraton Update: HOAX, with Consequences
PREVIOUS POST: Attempted ‘Operation Infiltration’ of Ohio GOP GOTV Effort May Be THE Story of Election Eve
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I received the e-mail that follows from Ryan Fissel, and spoke to him a short while ago. I appreciate his prompt response to my request to speak with him.
Ryan is one of the two people who run Linwood Campaign Services, LLC, a campaign assistance company whose slogan in “committed to electing Democrats.”
Here is the text of his e-mail, which I am posting with his permission:
I am writing today because I noticed this morning the posts on various blogs about something that BSB (Buckeye State Blog — Ed.) and Plunderbund had been writing about concerning infiltration of a Republican gotv effort. I was mainly concerned because my name, my business partner’s name and other people have been dragged into this mess. I have spoken with Russell Hughlock at BSB and he assured me it is a hoax designed to make people worry and not focus on their events in the final 24 hours before election day.
I want to state completely that I did not have any knowledge of this hoax or anything having to do with it until this morning when I called and demanded answers from Russell Hughlock at BSB. This was in response to the Free Republic comments section which took the time to publish my home address and telephone numbers as well as personal information belonging to myself and my business partner and our clients.
As to Buckeye State Blog being hosted at a hosting service that I own (we were doing websites for a time and it was just easier to have your own server than deal with a reseller) that situation will be rectified as soon as possible.
I hope that you will be able to correct any information that you are covering on your blog. If you have any questions, please email me and I will answer them to the best of my ability.
Thanks,
Ryan Fissel
Ryan made it clear how unhappy he was with BSB’s conduct, and that (possibly paraphrasing) “this isn’t how we do things.”
He also noted that his partner has been in heated discussions with BSB, which are apparently ongoing and less-than-totally pleasant, over promptly owning up to the hoax.
I think the takeaway from this is that while the other party certainly has more than its fair share of honorable people (it’s too easy to forget that), there is an unfortunate undercurrent of childish and vandal-like behavior that can’t be ignored.
BSB and Plunderbund are considered to be among the leading lights of the left side of Ohio’s blogosphere; they aren’t just some cranks on a lark. Given that, I don’t think it’s out of line to suggest that the children and vandals have at least a slightly better chance to influence what goes on in this state for the next four years, and in the Senate for the next six, if the other party’s candidates win on Tuesday.
Suggesting that you take what has happened with the apparently mythical “Operation Infiltration” into account when you enter the voting booth tomorrow does not seem out of line.
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UPDATE: I don’t think this is the “contrition” Ryan has in mind.
UPDATE 2: One commenter’s reax at FreeRepublic — “Let them convince law enforcement of their claim and then I’ll be convinced as well.”
UPDATE 3: MSNBC’S Clicked — “Speaking of mob justice gone awry (again), if you’re going to distract the punditsphere with a hoax, leave out the names of real people who aren’t part of your hoax.”
Democrats infiltrating Ohio GOP get-out-the-vote effort…
*** Update: it’s a hoax. *** You read that headline right. Liberal bloggers Buckeye State Blog and Plunderbund have had something in the works for awhile now. The right side of the blogosphere detected the problem on FreeRepublic. Right on the Right s…
Trackback by Brain Shavings — November 6, 2006 @ 1:12 pm
Nice work on this, Tom.
Comment by NBS — November 6, 2006 @ 1:43 pm
#2, thx. I am “sort of” surprised they didn’t anticipate that this would blow up to the host and drag them into it.
Comment by TBlumer — November 6, 2006 @ 2:01 pm
[…] Update9: Apparently it was all a big hoax. Like John Kerry’s jokes, I don’t find election sabotage very funny. Tom Blumer has all the updates HERE. […]
Pingback by Right on the Right » Infiltration in Ohio — November 6, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
[…] Linwood campaign services is clearing the air: I am writing today because I noticed this morning the posts on various blogs about something that BSB (Buckeye State Blog — Ed.) and Plunderbund had been writing about concerning infiltration of a Republican gotv effort. I was mainly concerned because my name, my business partner’s name and other people have been dragged into this mess. I have spoken with Russell Hughlock at BSB and he assured me it is a hoax designed to make people worry and not focus on their events in the final 24 hours before election day. […]
Pingback by NixGuy.com » What is “Operation Infiltration” — November 6, 2006 @ 4:20 pm
Before you wingnuts get too self-righteous, understand and recognize that BSB created a blog post as bait - you folks fell for it and amplified it into an issue. If you’d simply ignored BSB and said “whatever,” you’d look alot less foolish.
Comment by The Liberal Avenger — November 6, 2006 @ 7:07 pm
#6 LA, if you look at my original post I noted that it might be a hoax about not long after I posted the links. How stupid does a hoax have to be to get caught in 90 minutes?
And in the process you ticked off the people at Linwood. Smart — REAL, REAL smart (/sarcasm).
Comment by TBlumer — November 6, 2006 @ 8:21 pm
Dude, you wasted a whole day and got punked. Just laugh with everyone else - it’s better than being laughed at.
Comment by staff — November 6, 2006 @ 9:38 pm
#8 Staff:
My traffic tripled and everyone got to see what jerks certain Dems are.
As a bonus, you ticked off your host who had to write apologetic e-mails. Even if that is in some weird twist part of your grand strategy, your guys wasted as much time on your side as anyone.
Who punked who?
Like I said, where do I send the flowers to thank you for juicing the GOP turnout even more?
Comment by TBlumer — November 6, 2006 @ 9:56 pm
It sure doesn’t sound like Ryan or Paul were laughing…
Comment by Lisa Renee — November 6, 2006 @ 11:57 pm
#10, I would agree with that.
Comment by TBlumer — November 6, 2006 @ 11:58 pm
At least you made an attempt to follow up on what was really going on. The FRs posted the host company owner’s home address and phone. I wonder how many nasty calls he received. I don’t think this would qualify as a hoax (crop circles) but more of a prank/poke in the eye.
Comment by college try — November 7, 2006 @ 6:43 am
#8, so as long as someone “looks good” or “saves face,” nothing else matters? No one takes ANY post or policy that a liberal puts forward at face value…
Comment by Tess — November 7, 2006 @ 6:48 am
[…] There are a few obvious factors influencing this trend: firstly, everyone seems determined to recapture the spirit of good-natured exuberance that washed over the country in November 2000, but in addition, we’re also now able to read stories from across the country — sometimes sourced and corroborated, sometimes not — establishing that Democrats are shameless crooks. The story that best exemplifies the role of the blogosphere in stoking election-related paranoia is probably this marvellous thing about alleged sabotage of Republican GOTV efforts, which provoked some characteristically level-headed commentary over at Free Republic before turning out to be made up. […]
Pingback by Steal This Election at Blog P.I. — November 7, 2006 @ 8:34 pm