At least I know that the Ron Paul supporters know how to find my website.
Earlier this morning, I posted the latest GOP Straw Poll from GOPBloggers.org and GOPStrawPolls.com. I've posted their poll several times in the past and allowed ConBlog readers to vote in it through this site. Matt, Mark and company have done a great job with that poll and I've been happy to be linked to that site since it went online.
This month, they decided to exclude Ron Paul from the voting in the monthly poll--a move which I totally support. In addition to polling very low, Paul's supporters have taken to spamming polls in an effort to get their candidate some play--something that Matt Margolis was very specific about in his posting on GOPBloggers.org last night.
Recognizing that, I included an editorial comment in my posting of the poll on ConBlog that said the following before I snipped Matt's comments into the entry:
"Ron Paul has also been removed from the poll this month. IT'S ABOUT TIME."
Well, that was enough to start a war, apparently.
My website started appearing on several Ron Paul message boards with an organized campaign to generate as many votes for the candidate named "none" as possible. In order to accomplish this, the Ron Paul supporters would vote negatively for everyone else...and they were linking through my site to do it.
I received an email from one of the Ron Paul supporters saying rubbing it in, even. (This person has since mended the fence and helped to call the hounds off me, in the interest of full disclosure.)
I decided to email Matt Margolis of GOPBloggers and apologize for the situation. I didn't intend for this kind of organized spam campaign to occur. I also told Matt that if he felt it was necessary to block referring traffic from my site, that I would completely understand.
So, again, I offer my apologies to GOPBloggers/GOPStrawPolls and everyone involved with the poll. I didn't realize that one throw-away editorial comment would start what it did and, again, I whole-heartedly apologize.
As far as the Ron Paul supporters go, I continue to believe that they're the reason that Ron Paul will never be elected President. I've tried to speak rationally with many of them via email or message board, and they immediately hammer and berate you--and all because you don't support their precious candidate. If you don't support Ron Paul, then using their logic, you don't support democracy or conservatism.
We'll see how their tactics treat them and their candidate come time for the party convention, won't we?
William Smith
ConservativeBlogger.com
