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Small-Town Muckraker Joey Dauben Will Run the World Some Day. Just Ask Him.
In the little towns outside of Dallas, publisher and aspiring politician Joey Dauben is on a crusade to expose abuses of power, civic mischief and -- most of all -- himself.
The group walks down the street, looking for stray voters. The homes begin to spread out and eventually the street dead-ends. The polls have nearly closed. No more campaigning left to do, Dauben's friends drive back to the middle of town, to gather up outside the boutique in town — a Post advertiser — for his election-night party. Dauben heads back to the church to wait for the returns to get posted.
Bridge and Butler wait with him outside the church, as the sun begins to sink. Butler reaches over and picks some lint off Dauben's shirt. Bateman arrives in a big red Dodge Ram with stickers for his pest-control business. He greets Dauben. At around 7:30, a woman emerges from behind the door to post the final, hand-written results: 210 votes for Bateman, 64 for Dauben.
Patrick Michels
Patrick Michels
For Joey Dauben, step one to becoming the next publishing mogul was stealing the newsroom sign from his old paper.
It happens so quickly, and with such bewildering certainty. Dauben shakes Bateman's hand. No cheers for Bateman, no big crowd, not much to say about inevitability. It barely seems to register with Dauben, until he considers that number out loud: 64. "I've got more subscribers than I got votes today," he says.
He makes a point of walking along the road past the Fundamental Baptist Church, back to where his election night party was gathering. Standing in the street, the old Palmer water tower and town hall framed behind him, Dauben offers some remarks. Bridge records them on his Flip cam. Owen and other friends circle with cell-phone cameras.
"We lost the election today, but we're not gonna go away," Dauben says. He congratulates Bateman on the win and denounces the "vicious, vicious lies" in the pink sheet mailer.
He and his friends walk back to his cottage for a drink in the yard. Dauben wonders aloud about buying the "masterbateman.com" domain name. But as much as he tries to keep things light, the air has gone out of the party. Kids sneak extra pieces of a cake brought for election night, with the water tower drawn in frosting.
Dauben's friend mentions how excited his son has been all week that Dauben was going to be mayor. Another woman says she can hardly believe it: "I'm waiting so many years for someone to be passionate about Palmer, and it's just — ugh."
But Dauben offers some perspective. It'll be easy enough to cover up his signs with new stickers for his city council run next year, he jokes. He has another thought, too: "You know, I hate to say it like this, but Jesus was never an elected official."
62 comments
I am very proud to have known Joey Dauben. Ellis Co. needs him to keep the good old girls and boys in their institutions accountable. As a past resident of Ferris Tx., I was happy to leave this town but miss some nice people and wish them the best. I laughed hard reading this article, thanks. PL
Now The Ellis County Press is filing theft charges for that "Newsroom" sign. Unreal.
Hmmmmm Karma can be a bitch can't it, poor Joey, looks like he just can't take it when someone investigates HIM. You can't call yourself a journalist when you only take one side of a story or a rumor and post it up as fact. Perhaps this will teach him to have a little empathy for others, but I doubt it. He keeps doing the same reckless things that have got him arrested AGAIN...and then just can't shut up about it, a defense attourney's nightmare!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...
The dude gets in the Dallas Observer and then police RAID HIS HOUSE.!!!!!!!What the heck did the Dallas Observer do to this guy?!?!?
JD is looking old and scared. It's really a shame. He's a smart guy and he seems to be a nice guy most of the time. I truly hope he gets out of this "publishing medical records" scrape and turns over a new leaf. The worst thing would be a conviction and prison time.
Fascinating story about someone who has never finished doing what he started and never managed to hold on to a long term job telling others how to run things. Ignorance is bliss.
Joey Dauben is like a character straight out of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. I'm thinking Charlie Kelly.
Some guy I used to read on Twitter once said that Idiocracy isn't a comedy. It's a documentary. I feel the same way about It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and no I don't want to be Frank Reynolds.
Why didn't Joey mention his drug use and "teenage experimentation with homosexuality"? Are you cured, Joey? Was it the pedophilia or the hatemongering that did the job?
What is your point you hateful smug? You know our constitutionis written on hemp. and God gave us free will to learn what was right and wrong. Without experiementation I guess we'd all be shallow, close minded, one liner regurgitating fools like yourself. Hows your beamer doing to pock up chicks you mid life loser.
"Was it the pedophilia or the hatemongering that did the job?"Do you hear yourself? Mr. h8 h8 h8 h8?Look what you've let yourself act like, just to defend yourself. I don't dislike you, just the hate you've accepted into your life. I have compassion for your existence, unlike yourself. You've resorted to nana-bobo retorts instead of debating. You seem smarter than that, but the evidence is lacking...
Will check it out! You think it suits me? Thanks for the help in findnig fellow like minded Americans! I would love to be part of what you hate...if only to be away from the HATE that you and others who share your view, spew.
Fox News has taught an entire generation of derivative right-wing morons that with just a little bit off shitslinging and a dependence on "positive thinking" they too can become Sarah Palin. Absolutely disgusting.
Whats sad is my fellow liberal won't own up to MSNBC doing the same. I don't think he idolizes Ms. Palin, who never had an electable chance without immediate revolution following. Im pretty progressive...but Ron Paul has VERY valid points. Jesus gave me my courage to follow a path on positivity, not FOX or any other subjugative media outlet. Listen to Thom Hartmann and drop the other side hate. We used to enjoy political debate, dissent, and criticism. It is he who stands firm on hallowed ground who stands for the Lord.
Good job. Let's throw comprehension and context completely out the window. Good luck with your Jungian studies. May it make you the most interesting of interns at the Ellis County Gazette or whatever shitrag you aspire to toil your labors at.
"If we are not consciously growing, our subconscious is." -JungSuffice-to be enough for.
Coming from Mr. H8!!1 Hahahahahahaha! You and the late Mr. Bush seem to have more in common...
It is your reliance on communicating anger to get your point across, using names like fucknut morons. Your anger and ignorance illuminate your unevolved perspective. You don't have to be miserable or discontent...that is your mind's expectations causing you to get angry. Nothing else.I guess I'm a fucknut moron because you disagree with ME, or my viewpoint? I'm confused as to how disagreeing with similar heores of mine and Mr. Dauber's makes me a fucknut moron. You obviously dislike Ron Pauls view and hate Jesus, or the religion that loves him so. Why else would you state your doubt of his existence? How does that help, by trashing Mr. Dauber? Do you have any opinions of your own, or are they just knee-jerk negative reactions to feeling uncomfortable with that which you do not understand?
I emplore you to you use your grey-matter for more than sufficing your subconscious.
It's always the people who disagree with fucknut morons who are "unevolved" and "unloved," huh?
My beliefs don't require that you believe them. I don't care if you think he was real, he is an inevitable archetypal outcome of a world society stuggling to evolve from fear to love. If not then...eventually. How happy are you, buddy? How's your perspective workin for ya? Lots of friends and love in your life huh? Some of us are actually trying. I can't wait for the next elections, we'll see how funny he is to you then! Eventually, I will be able to welcome you to the unconditional loving perspective your soul longs for, but your unevolved human mind has yet to discover.
He's right, keep quacking Coleman.
It was more John Rockefeller and the Art of War that helped me :) That quote from Rockefeller summed it up: "Own nothing, control everything." Oh, and Jesus. He definitely got my start.
Keep quacking, Coleman.
Erik, is this still over the YouTube channel? Get over it...you are a just a jealous, control freak.
Gay ag teacher? Who cares? How is this germane to the issue? That one sentence lost me. I am not gay, but this intolerance of others who are doing no harm is getting old.
It wasn't the ag teacher. Brandy clarified this remark, and so did I (on The Ellis County Observer.) We were discussing an ag teacher, yes, but the thing about the sexual molestation/sex scandal involved an In-School-Suspension teacher at Palmer High School, not the gay ag teacher.
Had the pleasure of working aside Joey at the Obama Town Hall of 2009 in NH -- you know the one where ONE guy was singled out for carrying and who appeared on Chris Matthews? What the dopes didn't know is that EVERYONE in NH 'carries'.... there were probably 300 of them there, many women too. Much ado about nothing.
Just be careful OBSERVER, Joey wins,he may battle you guys next and your www.backpage.com that has all the innocent sweet working girls and their adds in it ! " The Oldest Occupation in The World " LOL
The "Rupert Murdoch" of Dallas, including stereotyping and stigmatizing gays ... and being too nutbar for the borderline-racist rantings of the Ellis County Press. That's "our" Joey; at least he's finally fessed up to his cybersquatting and why.
...meanwhile, we just launched The Odessa Observer news Web site, which will eventually become its own newspaper as well.
Thanks, man. I do believe we just inked a deal to expand Newspaper No. 42 into the "north-of-Fort-Worth-area."
Good job Joey!!! I'm not at all scarrd to stand behind someone that is for the truth. Nreds to be more people that are not afraid in my book.
Yeah, I did. I learned to go after everybody in public office who subscribes to the view that not being honest is a trait to possess. Joseph in Hebrew means "God Shall Increase." And the Combine PD tried to silence Freedom of the Press. My first day in, I said, "I will increase Freedom of the Press that they tried to silence." And thus, Freedom of the Press Group was formed...
I learned quite a deal while locked up for 12 days. Now I'm teaching the lessons.
Quick question:
Who the fuck is this dipshit twat and who the fuck cares about him enough to make it a cover story?
lol, wow, such a mean person. Steve, I'm in need of very opinionated writers, if you ever wanna jump on my media rocketship ;)
Way to keep your integrity Dauben. I may not agree completely with you, but I appreciate your courage and willingness to do something, which is a lot more than most. Steve is a jerk who probably never gets laid unless he hits backpage!!!!!!!
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