MPW’s Record Month

MPW set an all-time internal record for visits in October 2008. But the reasons for this may surprise you.

It is true that two of our most popular series, MoCo’s Most Influential People and Saqib-Mania, appeared in whole or in part last month. But our most sustained increases in traffic have been driven by two completely different issues:

1. MCDCC’s Sample Ballot
Marc Korman’s guest post on the Central Committee’s sample ballot has drawn steady interest. Many people are finding it through Google and coming in directly to that entry. Other than (predictably) supporting all the Democratic candidates for office, the sample ballot outlines the party’s positions on the ballot questions. On the two county questions, the party recommends voting for repeal of legally ineffective charter provisions (Question A) and against the latest Ficker Amendment (Question B). On the two state questions, the party recommends voting for early voting (Question 1) and against slots (Question 2). The report from the party’s Ballot Questions Advisory Committee, which explains why the party adopted its positions, is here.

2. The MoCo School Board Races
MoCo voters are searching for info about the two school board races: the at-large contest between Phil Kauffman and Tommy Le, and the District 2 contest between incumbent Steve Abrams and challenger Laura Berthiaume. They are finding precious little from the mainstream media, but they have been making their way to this blog.

The three posts that have been drawing the most attention, almost always from people who have been referred by search engines, are:

Below the Radar, a guest post by Sharon Dooley in which she expresses her support for Kauffman.

What a Way to Seek an Endorsement, in which I reveal what a kook Tommy Le really is.

Time to Get Rid of Steve Abrams, in which I demonstrate how no thinking person on either the left or the right could support his return to the school board. This last post is by far the most popular of the three as it shows up first on a Google search of the terms “Steve Abrams Laura Berthiaume.”

One of the reasons why we are getting record traffic on the school board race is that the mainstream media’s coverage has been so dreadful. The Post’s new piece is decent, but it came out only six days before the election. The Gazette’s coverage of the last school board debate offers less meat than a soy-burger. Neither the Post nor the Gazette report on Abrams’ constant running for every office higher than weasel catcher. Nor do they report the biggest development of the debate: District 2 candidate Laura Berthiaume said she would not run for any other office during her four-year term and challenged Abrams to make the same commitment. Abrams, of course, declined. Ace Gazette reporter Janel Davis would have picked up on that in two seconds, but unfortunately, she was not there.

If the Gazette wants to improve its coverage, they need to do two things.

1. Breed five clones of Ms. Davis and send them to all political events. If you want something done right, assign your best worker to the job.

2. Steal Examiner reporter Kathleen Miller and pay her what she’s worth (easily six digits). Then have Ms. Davis and Ms. Miller compete for the title of “Most Dangerous Woman in Print.” And watch your classified revenues go up.

Until then, we’re happy to get the site visits!