No good deed goes unpunished.

There's been some interesting reaction to Sherrod Brown's ad buy supporting the Act Blue general election fund in Ohio. Some find subliminal messaging in the poses and placement of the photos of Brown and primary opponent Paul Hackett. Others see a shrewd plot that rivals the brilliance sometimes imputed to Karl 'Subject of Interest' Rove to deny Hackett primary money by getting the netroots to drop all of their dollars into the Act Blue kitty. The machinations of the DLC have been suggested.

There might be a grain of truth or two in some of the reaction, but I'm still inclined to see it as a praiseworthy move by Brown. Don't misunderstand. That's not an endorsement of Brown. There's much to be said in favor of Hackett, as well, and reasonable grounds for criticism of each in their turn as well. They're human, after all.

If you want to give money to Paul Hackett, by all means do so. Or Sherrod Brown. Lots of us, though, would rather sit out the Ohio Democrats family feud, although many of us have an interest in a Democratic November victory. Some might want to say so early by investing in the race via Act Blue, and Sherrod Brown deserves a bit of online applause for promoting a vehicle to do just that.