Things are changing fast and furious in the blogosphere, and Google, of course, is a big part of anything that goes on the Net these days. But here's a question: Is Google, once thought of as everyone's helpful impartial cyber handy man, now using its enormous wealth to become more helpful to liberals than conservatives?
Here's a leading liberal indicator: TalkingPointsMemo.com, (TPM) a prominent liberal blog, is not only gaining prominence and momentum in the liberal media constellation, but is increasingly a pretty slick TV channel, too. And oh yes, it's gaining Google as a sponsor.
Here's a blog posting for Wednesday signed by TPM chief Josh Marshall, trashing a top Democrat in Hillary Clinton's campaign:
Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe fluffs Fox News so hard they've made him into the new network promo ...
And under that little squib, we see this Fox News Channel spot, courtesy of YouTube.
Now some of you may not know that "fluff" as a verb--returning to Marshall's post-- has a very specific meaning in the adult-entertainment industry (which has migrated, like much of porn, into the popular culture--viz. Traci Lords, and now Jenna Jameson, repositioning themselves as mainsteam entertainers).
Not to put too fine a point on "fluff," TPM is accusing McAuliffe of, figuratively, of course, getting down on his knees and giving Fox News oral sex--fellatio, to be precise. (I suppose some could find homophobia in Marshall's choice of words, but of course if liberals are homophobic, well, that's OK.)
Why this fury against a stalwart Democrat? All because McAuliffe, a leading hClinton supporter, praised, in passing, Fox News' coverage of the Pennsylvania primary. The Obama campaign must be pleased that Marshall is uh, carrying a load for them.
But OK, TPM has a right to what it writes. Free country, free speech.
But of course, somebody still has to pay the blogger bills, so that TPM can continue to be free. I don't doubt that TPM gets a lot of George Soros-type money, in direct contributions, even if I don't know for sure.
But I do know for sure that the liberal billionaires who own Google are helping TPM, because I can see their ad right on the TPM site--and you can, too, either by clicking, or by looking at the screen-grab above. Note in particular--in addition to the anti-Fox News link, the anti-Karl Rove article, and even the hit piece on Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, at the top of the ad box, the words "Advertise Liberally." Har har.
One might ask: Is this really the company that Google wants to keep?
To be sure, the Google Public Policy Blog seems innocuous enough now, although every great liberal oak started out as a little liberal acorn. Perhaps someone will take the time to do a little digging into the ideological coloring of these twelve "Google Policy Fellows."
But interestingly, while Google is "advertising liberally" on a liberal site such as TPM, I didn't see anything like this on such conservative sites as National Review Online, or Hot Air, or The American Spectator. Could it be, do you suppose, that Google is leaning left? Subsidizing liberals, but not conservatives?
Indeed, maybe Google should be a little more cautious in its politics. The search giant might remember what happened to Microsoft's Bill Gates. He was no conservative, but when the Left came after him, in the anti-MSFT antitrust case of the 90s, Gates' liberalism did him no good. The Clinton Administration permanently flattened the upward trajectory of his company, as any Windows user knows. And now co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, plus CEO Eric Schmidt seem determined to make the same lurch to the Left. Watch out, boys. TPM might be your friend, because you have put the site on your payroll, but the Left is not your friend.
