Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Good Night, Young Sean. Good Night.

Sean Connaughton seemed like a really nice guy -- as far as I could tell from the pictures of him on the website and his seemingly middle-of-the-road appeal.

Last night, young Sean was dealt a political blow the size of his favorite home state, Virginia, losing to his right-wing opponent Bill Bolling by a 58-42 margin. But when fans, supporters, students, journalists, opponents' supporters and his opponent came a-knockin' on his web door looking to console the young chap or boast about his electoral humiliation, this is what they found:

Sean thanks all his supporters from the bottom of his heart. He wishes the winning Republican Team all the best in the November General Elections. He pledges his support to the Kilgore/Bolling/McDonnell Republican Ticket.

Apparently, Sean wasn't hanging around for the afterglow. The site, once overloaded (cluttered, if you will) with pictures and color, now stands devoid of all genuine emotion -- from the "bottom of his heart" cliché to the grudging endorsement of his opponent, which he did only in endorsing the entire ticket.

As Dcae, who covered the Bolling campaign, writes:

"He should have said that while he lost the nomination he would still fight for the issues that he believes in. I also think he should have shown more genuine support for the nominated Republican team."
Yeah, at the very least, keep your site up for the public to see. Incidentally, the frame of his site is still accessible if you know where you're going.

What's clear is that, regardless of its effect upon the turnout, Sean Connaughton lost the online battle big time to his opponent. For a lesser-known candidate with more of an uphill climb, he should chalk this one down as a missed opportunity.

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