February 18, 2005 by s.z.

Bobby Eberle, Time Traveler? Of course, it could just be a result of sloppy writing, but this Houston Chronicle story about Bobby Eberle, head honcho of GOPUSA/Talon News, seems to say that Bobby claimed to have started the venture as a result of seeing Flight 77 crash into the Pentagon on 9/11. Here, see what you think: Eberle would not discuss Gannon, but he portrayed himself as a do-gooder who got involved in journalism and politics to spread information and the conservative message. [Skip part how hearing about a gang rape/murder motivated him to join the Young Republicans and work on a losing 1994 Republican congressional campaign.] Eberle said his interest was further heightened when, during a trip to Washington, he witnessed American Airlines Flight 77 crash into the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001. Eberle and friend Bill Fairbrother decided to combine their technical skills and political interest to create GOPUSA. But, of course, as Bobby told Insight on the News in an interview last March, GOPUSA was created in late 1999 as a money-making venture designed to promote Republican politicans.  It became an "Internet news/ information/ commentary company" in September 2000 when no candidates signed up for promotion.  And, as it so happens, Eberle was in D.C. in 2001 to try to drum up interest on "Capitol Hill" in GOPUSA. Here's part of a 2003 column about 9/11: In September 2001, as my company [GOPUSA] began to grow and reach more people, I thought the timing was right to return to Washington to promote the venture on Capitol Hill. I was invited to attend a conference in DC [the American Conservative Union's Policy Boot Camp] which was scheduled for September 9-11, and I knew that would be the perfect occasion to do some corporate promoting in addition to attending the conference events. [...] Why was I in Washington? Why did I see Flight 77? I often ask myself these questions, and wonder if there was a grand plan or simply blind luck. Do you think that maybe God set up the American Conservative Union's conference just so Bobby would be in D.C. to see the plane crash, or did He cause the plane to crash in order to get Bobby to start GOPUSA?  Anyway, I also found this part of the Houston Chronicle piece interesting: Eberle said Talon merits White House credentials because of its large number of readers (he claims 500,000 unpaid subscribers), its regular publishing schedule and its differentiation between news and opinion journalism. Of course, by "subscribers" he means everybody who has signed one of GOPUSA's polls and now gets the GOPUSA newsletter in their inbox whether they want it or not, and everybody whose email address was passed along to Bobby by his brother  relative Bruce, who runs a direct advertising company which targets conservatives, and who also used to run a conservative site called MillionsofAmericans.com.  (I still wonder about that 500,00 figure, though.) Oh, and the differentiation is that the items on the GOPUSA site which regurgitate RNC and White House news releases without additional commentary are credited to "Talon News." Eberle told the Chronicle that Talon's reporters are a mixture of volunteers and paid staffers, but he would not disclose how many reporters are on staff. [...] Eberle said his reporters have a range of experience, from those with 10 years of journalism experience to others who simply sent in writing samples. Talon News has deleted the bios of its reporters, but we think their reporter with the 10 years of journalism experience is Stephen Dewey, who "is currently a student at Boston Latin School" and who serve's as his school's "Media Coordinator for the Young Republicans' Club." Anyway, here's another bit from that Insight on the News interview from last year: Understandably, he likes to point out that GOPUSA now gets about 30,000 page views every day [Which is about what Andrew Sullivan gets these days]. In 2000, when it started, it received about 3,000 views per month. GOPUSA is a 100 percent volunteer-run company, Eberle notes. "We have about 50 people involved nationwide with the day-to-day operations. We have folks in 40 of the 50 states who help update their state sections with news and commentary. Our e-mail magazine goes out on Mondays. And all that with no paid advertising," he concludes. GOPUSA is a 100% volunteer effort, but Talon pays some of its "news staff."  My guess is that now that Jeff Gannon as been busted, only the editor-in-chief and publisher makes any money from the venture. Anyway, more later about Bobby's plan for a web site for children!!! 1:57:29 PM

Who Said It? Today's edition is brought to you later in the day as a service to Thorlac.  Our first Mystery Guest from last time was Bill O'Reilly.    And salvage named that falafel!  Salvage wins this Media Matters story about Bill claiming that "housing assistance is up 1,400 percent" from former President Clinton's final budget to President Bush's recent 2006 budget proposal. Actually, the increase is 22 percent.  But remember, people, if you say that Bill is a liar, it makes the baby Jesus cry. Our second mystery guest (the one who thinks that conservatives are an out-of-power minority in this country because they play too fairly) was Gary Aldrich.  Our winner was johnny bob the baptist, who gets the Hillary Clinton Christmas Tree Decoration Set (as featured in Gary's book Wah, the Clintons's Didn't Respect Ma Authoritay!).  You'll be the talk of the neighborhood when you decorate your tree with hypodermic needles, crack pipes, nipple clamps, and condoms that are invisible to everyone but Gary.  Enjoy! Our consolation prize for the day goes to heydave -- it consists of an official "Studly News Service" press badge which will allow him to cover presidential press conferences and ask the President important questions like, "Many people are less than thrilled with your appointment of torture fan John Negroponte to the position of National Intelligence Director -- are said people traitors or merely poopieheads?"  Oh, and this special press pass also apparently allows the wearer to be like a kid in a Japanese monster movie and attend Pengaton war sessions. Bill S. was a runner-up for today's consolation prize with his answer of "a creepy old man, and a smug nincompoop. "  He wins, oh ... this box of paperclips off my desk. Now, Who Said This? 1.  Now, go back and look at what I did and what I wrote and explain to me how it's possible to characterize my work as "somewhere between meltdown and release." Compare my blog's contribution to any of my male counterparts and explain to me how I deserve to be ridiculed as a psychological basket case by the august Wall Street Journal editorial board. Bonus points if you explain why she deserves to be ridiculed as a psychological basket case by all right-minded people. 2.  I am, though I say this with all appropriate modesty, something of a hate figure to the more fanatical kind of homosexualist, as you can easily see by Googling my name. [...] Tolerance is not approval; and while I do not agree with the pope that homosexuals are "called to chastity," I do think that they are called to restraint, discretion, reticence, and a decent respect for the opinions of the majority. [...] Nor should they be strutting about boasting of "pride." (How can you feel pride in something you believe you can't help?) By gad, he's right!  Notify Mensa it must disband immediately! 11:31:26 AM