Sun Suckers the Blogs

The Baltimore Sun is running an online poll to determine Maryland’s best blogs. Their goal? To sign up new subscribers and build ad revenues. Their suckers? Free State bloggers. And we have to hand it to them because it’s paying off.

The Sun has started a contest called “the Mobbies” (Maryland’s Outstanding Blogs). No, we are not supplying a link. They have nominated a large number of blogs in various categories for an award that consists of nothing more than a party and mention in a banner ad – in other words, a prize of fetid air in an empty box. And what have many bloggers done to gain such a boon? Why, beg their readers to comply!

Here’s one blogger urging his readers to vote for his “mobbie award as best blog of 09.” He even offers his readers a chance to throw pie in his face. Here’s another blogger telling his readers, “Embarrassing as it is to engage in self-promotion, I am soliciting your support… Should you not care to participate in this poll, offering me a job would be an acceptable alternative.” Here’s a conservative blogger who bashes the mainstream media (MSM) but writes, “...as long as the voting continues I have a shot, so why not take a moment and vote for me. Let’s see if I can at least finish ahead of all the liberal sites out there.” And most unfortunately, even Paul Foer of Annapolis Capital Punishment, who scooped the MSM on the Zina Pierre story, pants, “Don’t delay...vote for CP today!!!”

How bad is this? Mobbies voters must register with the Sun and are told to vote once a day from September 28 through October 9. So the newspaper gets new subscribers, new email addresses for spams and additional ad payments. What do the bloggers and their readers get? Something that is best cleaned out of horse stables.

Here is our message to the fleeing, looting overlord of the Sun. Maryland Politics Watch readers are the finest, smartest people in the Free State. They are not trollops, street-walkers, flesh-flashers or tramps and we will not be pimping them to the lascivious johns at your newspaper. Make no mistake – we are fans of individual MSM reporters. Our favorites include the Examiner’s scandal-addicted Alan Suderman, the Post’s eagle-eyed Miranda Spivack and old pro John Wagner and the noble, oppressed wage slaves at the Gazette. (As soon as they demand a union, we will do everything possible to help them!) We even like Baltimore Guy Mike Dresser, primarily because we enjoy a good argument. But we do not care, have never cared and will never care about what the reporter-cutting corporate bosses at MSM headquarters – or even worse, their marketing departments – think or say about this blog.

So if you happen by the Mobbies voting site and they allow it, please vote against us. We’ll take a box of hot air for that!