What about “barring divine intervention” (in the $.02 post) don’t you understand?

You of all people should know that the PD doesn’t move at light speed.

All the comments are interesting, but I have a question for you. Are you hanging in on Wide Open? Or is it over? Your picture is stil there, along with Dave’s photo, which leads me to assume you are continuing to be MSM bloggers, a bit of an irony considering your views of the press as a liberal hotbed. Some kidding there.

But, are you guys in or out? The whole world is watching. If you plan to stay, an explanation would be fun to read, (remarkably) fun to read. And if you plan to go, that would be hot news, stop the presses news….oops, fire up the keyboards news. Just fill us all in, please. That will give everybody something new to stew over etc.

I do feel bad that both Jeff and Jill went up the hill and then bailed. Jeff is a sharp observer and activist, and Jill is a sage — and I think had a lot more to do with putting the whole thing together than most people know.

Unless, of course! It was all a LIE! And a CONSPIRACY! (joke joke joke)

Anyway – thanks – you like the honor thing and so do I. Best to be consistent with it.

How about, “I am signalling my disagreement with most of the contents of the comment, particularly the personal evaluations of the WO participants, while avoiding getting into an irreconcilable shouting match with the commenter?”

Actually, that would have been better the first time around. All four of us are very good bloggers who produce very good work.

Seriously, thanks for the nudge.

Given the situation, I should remind readers that “Allowing a comment to be posted does not constitute agreement with it, or endorsement of it.”

Jeff and Jill are fine for their gullible and uncritical audiences, but WO needed substance from the left to stand up to the superior quality of Tom and the high quality of Dave, and they just weren’t getting it.

The PD is a brand, and they can’t afford to be associated with low quality, especially from someone that donates money against corporate rules. So BOOM…diversionary controversy so everyone saves face: PD looks beyond reproach, Jeff predictably and adolescently overreacts and becomes a “hero” to his side, and Jill reliably follows the popular and emotional decision to quit in a hissy for no apparent reason, leaving Tom and Dave as the adults and pros that they are. At which point the PD is indifferent between killing the project or re-engineer WO to something better.

My guess is that my scenario or Bizzy’s is closer to the real truth.

You didn’t. That is on you. Be consistent in your holding media accountable.

It makes it seem more likely that the three of us would have backed you if we had all convened, and that the statement to the PD as to how they were blowing it would have been been stronger. What might have happened from there, we’ll never know.

Yes, having read what you wrote here, I’m thinking it may have been a good thing if I had tried to convene some sort of all-blogger conversation after Jean made his request. I guess I didn’t rise to the occasion. In my defense, it all happened very fast.

We knew for weeks that Rep. LaTourette was complaining to the Plain Dealer about my participation, but there were only a few hours between Jean Dubail calling me to ask for the first time if I would agree never to mention LaTourette on Wide Open, and him telling me in a later call that I was fired. I told him in one of those conversations that if I was let go I was going to consider my agreement not to mention the stuff with LaTourette at an end, and in fact I planned to tell the world immediately. He said that he understood. After the last call I set right to work.

In my opinion, the PD yielding to LaTourette’s pressure, and insisting that a blogger (as opposed to a reporter) can’t write about anyone involved in a race where the blogger has made a donation, ripped the heart out of Wide Open. I imagine you may feel differently, but for me the whole thing was ruined right there.

This was a great experiment, and if Wide Open doesn’t continue for you guys I’m confident that there will be other such opportunities. I wish you the best in your endeavors as well.