Posted on 10/12/2006 7:02:12 PM PDT by penelopesire
He's been around a pretty long time. Maybe he is just a tad ornery tonight. Politics can wear on a person. No big deal.
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:3IXarF5UEIEJ:www.grassrootspa.com/archives/2004_10_01_archive.html+%22Tim+Mahoney%22+gunzburger&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10&client=firefox-aVoters|W|P|chrislilik@gmail.com">http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:3IXarF5UEIEJ:www.grassrootspa.com/archives/2004_10_01_archive.html+%22Tim+Mahoney%22+gunzburger&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=10&client=firefox-aVoters|W|P|chrislilik@gmail.com10/20/2004
05:21:26 PM|W|P|Chris|W|P| GrassrootsPA was honored to interview one of the US's premier political web gurus, Politics1.com publisher Ron Gunzburger:
1) Politics1.com is an amazing website, and you do an excellent job compiling breaking political news from all over the country. Tell us how Politics1.com got started, and why. I actually created the Politics1 site out of frustration. In 1996, there were various media joint-venture political sites (CNN/Time had one, Washington Post/National Journal's Hotline and other did another one, CBS and some newspapers did yet another, etc.) that listed all of the major Presidential nominees, plus all of the major party nominees for Governor, US Senate and Congress in all 50 states. The partnerships behind many of these joint venture sites fell apart soon after 1996 and they all went off-line. I waited until late 1997 for something similar to come back online for the 1998 elections but -- when none appeared -- I bought some books at Borders on HTML coding and taught myself how to create a site and do the graphics. My site looked a lot more primitive in the early days -- but the same can be said of any original product (car, computer, calculator) against how much better the new models look. I figured that if I was looking for this info -- stuff like who is running for Congress in Michigan CD-3 (or wherever) and who are the potential candidates for an open seat, others must be looking for it, too. It proved correct because we're still online, we've got a big audience (around 1 million UNIQUE user sessions and over 35.6 million hits per month), and the site is operating in the black.
2) In your opinion, what's the biggest story Politics1.com unearthed? I'm very proud of the work I did with John Gorenfeld (www.IApproveThisMessiah.com) -- who deserves the bulk of the credit for finding the initial story and writing about it -- in exposing the Moonie religious cult coronation ceremony on Capitol Hill. John did a lot of the investigative work and I helped generate a big audience for the story. You've got to remember, John and I were banging away at this stories for about two weeks before any of the mainstream media picked it up. I was rather proud that -- at their National Press Club press conference -- the Moonies singled out both John's site and Politics1 as the two sites they blamed for all the bad press they got on this story. Congressmen Danny Davis, Roscoe Bartlett, Curt Weldon and the others who took part in a ceremony in a Congressional building that placed a crown a Reverend Moon's head so that Moon could then proclaim himself the "returned Messiah" and "the True Parent" was pretty pathetic. I'm also rather proud of a story I didn't write. This year, it seems every closeted gay politician is getting outed. In fact, people who were out for years are amusingly now claiming indignation for getting re-outed (Mary Cheney). I got a tip a few years ago that a middle-aged, bachelor GOP Congressman who was unexpectedly retiring -- just a few weeks after he announced for re-election -- was doing so because a potential social conservative candidate for his seat had threatened to out him as gay. My story wasn't going to be "that Congressman X is gay" but was more focused on the blackmail angle. The state GOP chair even confirmed to me that he was "aware" of allegations similar to the blackmail story I was investigating. In the end, I had an awkward and bizarre phone call with the Congressman and his Chief of Staff (the COS did just about all the talking). Without ever answering any of the story directly -- not the gay stuff or the blackmail stuff -- they pleaded with me not to write the story because the Congressman's parents were still alive and infirm and it would be too embarrassing if they heard about this. I thought the whole thing was pretty sad but, in the end, I didn't write it. I'll admit it was in part because I couldn't pin down which of the potential candidates made the threat -- although I have no doubt that one of them did blackmail this Congressman into quitting.
3) Which story created the biggest positive or negative reaction from your readers? The most positive reaction from readers has definitely been in support of my decision to "adopt" the 1/23 Marines infantry battalion as they were getting ready to be deployed to Iraq a few months ago. The weekly postings from Lt. James Crabtree -- who was a regular Politics1 reader and Marine reservist before being activated -- are very popular. The point of going with this regular series was to show that -- regardless of whether or not each of us supports the Iraq war -- we are very proud of the individual Americans who serving in uniform. I'm certainly split on the issue: I supported (and still support) the Afghan operation, but oppose the Iraq one. The soldiers are not the ones who planned the operation or made the decision to go into Iraq. If people are upset with the war, they should hold our civilian leaders accountable on Election Day. Negative? Well, it seems that every time I write about political cult leader and perennial Presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche -- which in unfavorable and infrequent -- the LaRouchies get all worked up and flame me with hate emails. Back in January, LaRouche and I were amusingly staying in the same hotel in Concord, NH, but I had no desire to go over and introduce myself to that lunatic when I saw in the lobby and restaurant.
4) Tell us a little about yourself. You are an attorney and a web journalist at the same time. Is it tough juggling both at once? How much time do you put into each everyday? Short answer: Yes, it's tough to juggle both. My job as General Counsel of a government agency is a full-time job. I write and update the site when I get home in the evening and early in the morning. I'm often up writing until quite late at night. And, on top of these two jobs, I also still do some work as a political communications consultant on local races, serve on two local government boards, and try to find time to work in some roller hockey skating time each week. Maybe this schedule is why I enjoy my vacations away so much! Right now, in these final days leading up to November 2004, I do 40+ hours each week at my day job plus 30-40 hours per week working on the site.
5) What are your favorite websites, both political and non-political? PoliticalWire.com (informative), Electoral-Vote.com (addictive), HockeyLockout.com (I'm still pissed at both sides: NHL and NHLPA), eBay.com (addictive), snopes.com (fun), dictionary.com (I'm always looking words up), NOAA.com (addictive to us Floridians during hurricane season) … plus there are tons of others I check out a few times each week.
6) You have a pretty active comment section below each of your stories. How's it feel to know that you have literally hundred of people discussing every little word you write? I enjoy the fact that my site draws an audience that is a good mix of liberals, conservatives and centrists (plus a few rather hardcore left and right and libertarian folks from the political extremes). It makes for lively debates. When the Blogads.com company did a survey of the top political blogs, my site's bloggers were on average several years younger (mid-to-upper 20s) and substantially better educated than the typical bloggers on the other sites. Makes for very spirited debates! My political views certainly seep into lots of the blog articles I post, but I still work hard to present all the key stories and polls (including ones unfavorable to my candidates) -- and I keep the other 100+ pages of non-blog sections of Politics1 completely neutral and balanced.
7) Tell us a little about where you are politically. Will there ever be a Congressman Ron Gunzburger? You're going to get me into trouble here with your audience. I'm currently a registered Democrat, although I've switched parties between D, R and Independent five times to date (although I've been a Dem for the vast majority of the time). I can find much to dislike about both major parties -- although I would like to believe that both sides really do want what is best for this country (even when they disagree about what that is). I worked as a paid campaign consultant in over 120 campaigns during 1982-2002 -- but became so jaded and skeptical towards the political process (and many candidates) that I decided it was best for me to step back for a while. My clients were probably 75% Dems, 20% Republicans, and 5% Independents. As a 12 year old, I first leafleted for Jimmy Carter in 1976 (Rosalyn Carter even came to our house for a coffee in 1975 before anyone knew who her husband was). By 1984, I voted for Ronald Reagan. I initially liked Perot in 1992 -- I even cast a write-in vote for Perot in the GOP primary -- but became disenchanted with him before November (he was just too flaky). I've voted for third party candidates for President more than once over the years. I admire Presidents like Ronald Reagan and Lyndon Johnson -- to pick an R and a D as examples -- because they were both true leaders. To wit: Reagan's aggressive anti-communist agenda and LBJ's civil rights agenda. Agree or disagree with them, they held fundamental beliefs about what was best for America and they won the public over to their side (even when their views were initially unpopular or controversial). By contrast, Presidents who poll nightly and adjust their positions to match frequent shifts in the poll numbers are not leaders -- as anyone can run to the front of a parade and pretend to be leading it. In 2000, I contributed to John McCain's Presidential campaign -- and I still like the guy. I supported the post-9/11 military campaign in Afghanistan (and still want to see Bin Laden captured or killed). I supported the Iraq War -- and think the world is better off without Saddam Hussein in power -- but would not have done so had I known then what I know today (no WMDs ... plus I read the Paul O'Neill and Richard Clark books). I love ice hockey, the Simpsons, Sopranos, The Daily Show and South Park... despise Fear Factor and hip hop music ... never listen to talk radio (left or right) ... and almost exclusively read non-fiction books ... but that's not really politics. I believe the amount of money-corrupt politicians in elective office is very, very few in number. I believe that the amount of ego and power corrupt politicians is rather high. I'm a fiscally responsible, socially liberal, pro-gun rights, environmentalist, civil libertarian ... and, FYI for any of you who liked those Club for Growth anti-Dean TV spots back in Iowa: I hate sushi, drive an SUV, don't drink lattes (but do admit to sipping mochas), pay my taxes (grudgingly), believe in God, love this country, and don't have any body piercings. In 2004, I contributed to Howard Dean and was even one of those who traveled to NH as a Dean volunteer. I was the GOTV captain for Dean in a Concord ward on primary day. I supported Dean for much of the same reason I supported McCain last time: both are populist advocates of real systemic political reform, both are insurgents seeking to break the traditional power wielded by special interest deep pockets, and both offered the hope of bringing millions of disaffected Americans back into the political process. Well, that's more than enough about me to confuse anyone!! I'd certainly like to serve in Congress, but don't envision that happening (nor my running for it). Besides, considering my politics, you and your readers would probably work very hard to see that this never happens.
8) Bush vs. Kerry: How's it going to play out? Are we going to see a repeat of 2000 in your backyard of Broward County again? Yup, this one is going to go down to the wire again. You never know, but we could be seeing Florida-style recounts in several key states in the weeks after November 2 (including, again, in Florida). |W|P|109816378583033349|W|P|GrassrootsPA Interview With Politics1's Ron Gunzburger|W|P|chrislilik@gmail.com10/20/2004 02:31:50 PM|W|P|Chris|W|P|
Good Lord..the guy is all over the place in his political beliefs. I think it is just a front. No one that is conservative could have EVER BEEN FOR DEAN...lol!!
This part was interesting:
"...This year, it seems every closeted gay politician is getting outed. In fact, people who were out for years are amusingly now claiming indignation for getting re-outed (Mary Cheney). I got a tip a few years ago that a middle-aged, bachelor GOP Congressman who was unexpectedly retiring -- just a few weeks after he announced for re-election -- was doing so because a potential social conservative candidate for his seat had threatened to out him as gay. My story wasn't going to be "that Congressman X is gay" but was more focused on the blackmail angle. The state GOP chair even confirmed to me that he was "aware" of allegations similar to the blackmail story I was investigating. In the end, I had an awkward and bizarre phone call with the Congressman and his Chief of Staff (the COS did just about all the talking). Without ever answering any of the story directly -- not the gay stuff or the blackmail stuff -- they pleaded with me not to write the story because the Congressman's parents were still alive and infirm and it would be too embarrassing if they heard about this. I thought the whole thing was pretty sad but, in the end, I didn't write it. I'll admit it was in part because I couldn't pin down which of the potential candidates made the threat -- although I have no doubt that one of them did blackmail this Congressman into quitting."
He didn't write the story because HE WAS PROBABLY IN ON IT (just covering his A)!! Wonder who it was? I don't normally keep up with FL. politics. Do you guys know?
Interesting.
I don't have any idea who the congressman was. Probably was someone in South Florida because I can't think of anyone who fits the description in the Tampa Bay area. Most are still in office or running for higher/another office.
http://cyclebreakers.blogspot.com/
18 posted on 10/17/2006 10:06:31 AM EDT by maggief
I saw that on his site this morning.Been snooping over there everyday hoping he makes an announcement that he has been arrested by the FBI (rolling eyes). I guess the FBI is too busy going after innocent Republicans!
This guy really is the scum of the earth and all of his little 'drones' that orbit him make me sick!
"This guy really is the scum of the earth and all of his little 'drones' that orbit him make me sick!"
AGREE!
Clintonoids trying to get Curt Weldon
The American Thinker ^ | October 16, 2006 | James Lewis
The FBI gets a lot of tips on politicians. But it doesn’t act on all of them in a great blaze of publicity, just a few weeks before elections. And not many of them are specifically tipped by the Soros outfit CREW.
Well, Curt Weldon and his daughter are getting the full CREW treatment.
Sorry I wasn't around today, my fav cat is in intensive care! (long story, but say a little kitty prayer for him because he is the sweetest kitty in the whole wide world)
Anyway, didn't Melanie Crew work for the FBI during the Clinton administration? There are so many Clinton holdovers all through the FBI and CIA, who can trust them anymore? They have proven time and again how partisan and political they are. I hate to say that about them damnit, but it is the truth.
Curt Weldon is an American Hero in my book. He's seems like one of the few R Congressmen left in the beltway with any fight left in him!!
Soros, Foley and the FBI
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | October 11, 2006 | Richard Poe
Melanie Sloan:
Thanks for the link and the prayer for my kitty(he is holding his own right now).
Lots of names here to 'google' in the morning....lol!
Oh yeah..for all you freeper sleuths..I recommend the Naval War College..they have a wealth of info on the 'shadow internet' and how to 'surf' it...(wink)
Let's pray that the truth comes out windchime..whatever it is!
Many of us have long suspected that the Democrat party is in a collective psychosis! As a long time 'hobby student' of Carl Jung, I can tell you with certainty that they are indeed in such a grip.
To quote Carl Jung in 'Diagnosing the Dictators" (1938):
"....How to save your democractic U.S.A.??
It must of course be saved, else we all go under. You must keep away from the craze, avoid the infection. Keep your army and navy large, but save them. If war comes, wait. America must keep big armed forces to help keep the world at peace, or to decide the war if it comes. You are the last resort of Western Democracy"
Jung, of course, wrote this during another time in our history in which the US eventually wrote the last chapter in that horrible war.
BUT HIS ADVICE STILL RINGS TRUE IF YOU LISTEN WITH EARS ANEW.
Thanks windchime, TexKat, Maggie, and others for all of your support and fellow 'digging' for the truth.
Pen
Bears repeating.
David Horowitz has a Data Base on Leftie and Commieorganizations....I've never used it....guess you would start with Front Page Magazine....
I do see Clear Private Data
thanks ernest for the links..been gone a few days(private).
Missed you guys...lol
Could you have me added to the ping list?
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