Tracey Brooks, running for Congress in the 21st District, sent out a remarkable press release today.

Democratic Congressional candidate Tracey Brooks today announced the launch of her online advertising campaign, posting her first ad to The Albany Project, www.thealbanyproject.com, a leading political and campaign blogosphere resource.[...]

"We're so excited to launch our first online ad -- and do it on a blog -- as we continue to bring our message of change directly to the people in new and exciting ways," said Brooks.

"We are the first campaign to post an online ad, as we were the first to reach thousands of voters in a single night through a telephone town hall meeting. We were also the first to launch YouTube videos, online volunteer registration, online fundraising, and internet social networking tools." [Emphasis added]

What's remarkable is that she's right: her campaign is the first in this entire cycle to buy an ad on a blog. Think about this for a moment: only one campaign in the state of New York has bought an ad on a Progressive blog for the 2008 elections. Or maybe that's not so much remarkable as it's sad.

Alright, I'm amused. The publicity agents for Equinox, an upmarket chain of gyms, email over, breathlessly, as follows:

It's been politics, politics, and more politics lately (with a little NY Giants thrown in) [Ed. note: Yes, that's what we do], so I thought you and your readers might be interested in a very different type of NY event: Equinox's scandalous - almost pornographic - nuns ad is coming to the city this week for 3 days only.

Have you seen the controversial print yet? It features a group of sexy nuns sketching a nude male model in a figure drawing class, a la Michelangelo's David. Some people are in an uproar - I personally think the whole thing amusing (but hey, I'm a liberal New Yorker)

Now, speaking merely for myself, I'm a big believer in the idea that the world needs more sculpted, naked flesh adorning the public space. What's amusing to me is that what is obviously, transparently, a ploy to garner free media - and what better way is there to do that than mixing religion and sex? - has seemingly aroused the ire of the usual suspects.

Memo to Bill Donohue: The reason people run campaigns like this is precisely to cause the reaction you infallibly deliver.

Memo to advertisers: Want press? Hire some models, dress them in ecclesiastical garb and leave one of them naked - no nipples or genitalia, please, since you're not nearly daring enough to risk condemnation from the Four As. Proceed to write steamy press release congratulating yourself on being all edgy, daring and shit, while all the prudes - in New York City, sure, whatever - supposedly froth. Bingo, get press.

I hate linking to Ben Smith these days because he has chosen to link only to Room Eight, his personal blog, from his site over at Politico.com. Yeah, double meow to you too. This Rudy clip though is too good to pass up.

The memories of that comb-over ... the horror, the horror. It's the drivel of him being "kind" and "compassionate" that really makes my stomach turn.

Make sure you have a waste basket close to you. This campaign ad may induce vomiting.

Via Politico.com.

I received a request from Internet radio provider Pandora to contact my Congressman before tomorrow's Congressional hearing concerning royalty payment schedules for web based stations. I didn't recall ever giving them my street address, but they somehow knew that unfortunately Vito Fossella is my Congressperson.

I wrote back that any requests to Vito from me would go deaf ears considering I spent most of my 2006 waking hours trying to cause him to be unemployed.

Unlike terrestrial radio, which pays fairly small fees to music copyright licensing companies such as ASCAP and BMI, Internet stations are charged ridiculously high per song rates by Sound Exchange which receives royalty payments for artists and the major record labels.

The new fee schedule will essentially kill web based music radio by making the cost of playing music prohibitive.

I rarely listen to terrestrial commercial music radio anymore because the playlists are repetitive or just outright suck.

Pandora is an interesting service. You can give them an artist or a song and they will put together a compatible playlist.

I put together a station based on the 70s Genesis song, "Supper's Ready". Tonight's Supper's Ready radio station music selections included Genesis, YES, Phish, Procol Harum and Jethro Tull.

Jonathon Feit, the Editor and Publisher of gay marriage magazine WITH THIS RING has posted a fascinating report from the American Association of Advertising Agencies Media Conference and Trade Show currently underway in Las Vegas. Feit discusses the huge gap between scrambling for Pink Dollars on the part of advertising agencies and their corporate clients and real support for the gay community. They take gay dollars but show little interest in the needs and concerns of the gay community. He also has some very interesting observations on the lack of real diversity in the advertising industry suggesting that despite appearances, Madison Avenue remains the straight white man's world. It's very much worth a read.

One really disturbing example of this comes from Travelocity, a company that markets itself as a very gay friendly operation. A major online travel company (which I'm guessing is Travelocity) was going to advertise in Feit's magazine but declined in the end sending him the following email:

"[Travel company] looks to position themselves as a leader in LGBT travel community, [but] they are unfortunately not yet comfortable with all of the political issues surrounding gay marriage. I think this is an issue that goes above & beyond anything happening in the marketing dept at the company."

We've written about Wingnut Maureen O'Connell, anti-choice extremist; now, that message is going to the airwaves in the biggest way. First, via The Albany Project, the official Craig Johnson spot:

Second, via The Daily Politics, an ad put out by EdPac:

The fact of the matter is this: Maureen O'Connell is an extremist, opposing stem-cell research and the morning-after pill, and supporting jail time for doctors and nurses who provide constitutionally guaranteed medical services. That's not partisan hyperbole, but a cold recitation of the public record. If she were to become part of a republican majority in the state Senate, she could legislate her outlandish views on the rest of us.

Rubyji is not the only one to have noticed the John McCain ads that have been popping on the site lately.

Last week I got pinged by Azi Paybarah, of the New York Observer's Politicker fame. I guess Azi needed to check out how babelicious I am and was perusing my (soon to be updated) bio and photo at lizasabater.com.

To his horror, he found this :

Yes, that's a John McCain ad right next my mug.

Now, there's the "sensible" explanation for this freakish political mashup and then there's the conspiracy theory. The explanation, though, will shed light into some of my web development skills and the techniques I have used to develop my sites.

So grab yourself a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and get yourself comfortable. Some major geekatude is coming your way.

MoveOn is raising money for an ad to run in Tuesday's New York Times. Here it is:

Earlier today I wrote over at culturekitchen about the Ken Mehlman commissioned ad written to race-bait Harold Ford. He is the Congressman who is likely going to end up in the Senate seat left open after Bill Frist's resignation.

Well ... Michael Rogers of BlogActive commissioned a ad response to Ken Mehlman's crapulence.

Enjoy.

Majority Action is running two TV spots in New York. The vastly more powerful one is here, dedicated to Congresscritter Walsh in the 25th.

Bullseye.

A spot taking on Sue Kelly, NY-19, for being a paid-for agenda shill, is after the fold. Good, but not as good as the Walsh ad, which is pure genius.