Blog Update (November 10, 2008 4:50 PM): Correction to "New Low ... Blame Obama" (earlier today)

Greetings. The election is over, but it appears that one of the most visible spokesmen for anti-network-neutrality ISPs, and for Google-haters more broadly, is merrily borrowing a page from John McCain's losing "guilt-by-association" playbook.

Scott Cleland, President of Precursor LLC and chairman of its wholly-owned "anti-neutrality ISPs' mouthpiece" subsidiary Netcompetition.org, is a master of trying to divert substantive arguments into the bottomless pit of meaninglessness. He shamelessly has been attempting to negatively and inaccurately entwine Google and network neutrality arguments through various writings and public testimony.

I have previously critiqued some of Cleland's statements, and I'm on record as having been in favor of the (now defunct) Google/Yahoo ad deal as a positive step toward helping to ensure vibrant ad competition in the future.

But in his latest anti-Google tirade regarding that dead ad plan, Cleland stoops to what may be a new low, and appears to now be casting aspersions on President-elect Obama and his upcoming administration. Cleland apparently is concerned that Obama has been seen "palling around" with Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Cleland seems to be nonsensically suggesting that Schmidt's (quite reasonable, in my opinion) personal endorsement of Obama now presages some sort of sweetheart deal between the Obama administration and Google.

Cleland's continuing anti-net-neutrality, anti-Google vendetta seems to know no bounds.

However, I try to be helpful whenever I can, and given Cleland's attitude, I'd like to suggest a possible spokeswoman for his cause who might be a perfect fit: Sarah Palin! Rumor is she'll have some spare time on her hands for a while at least, and she won't even need a new wardrobe to look stylish when providing public testimony for Cleland's organizations. Talk about a match made in heaven!

Just an idea. You betcha by golly!

--Lauren--