Posted on 03/15/2006 2:55:56 AM PST by Jim Robinson
WASHINGTON - When Rep. Roy Blunt was vying for the House majority leader spot in January, conservative bloggers fought for his ear.
Blunt, R-Mo., had invited a select group of bloggers to a moderated question-and-answer session. But Republicans John Shadegg of Arizona and John Boehner of Ohio held what the bloggers considered a much more freewheeling chat with them.
Mike Krempasky, a blogger at the influential conservative RedState.org, contended Blunt's reticence worked against him in the House leadership race.
"Blunt tried to do this in a way that was regimented," Krempasky said. "The more you try to control it, the worse off you are."
Krempasky believed that the openness of Boehner and Shadegg helped them secure the support of the bloggers, and in turn helped create a buzz in the political world that eventually influenced House members to upset Blunt, and go for Boehner instead.
Just how much influence they had in the race isn't clear, but there's no question about the growing political influence of blogs - Web sites created and used by thousands of people who post news, opinions, journals and anything else that may be on their mind at the time.
Blogging analysts call it swarming. Others say it's like a hurricane when hundreds of the bloggers' Web sites seize on a topic and then thousands and even tens of thousands of people read what they have to say.
Increasingly, political campaigns have had to adapt to the blogging era of political activism, and candidates and bloggers alike expect online opinion to have a big impact on the midterm elections this year.
Bloggers point to the 2004 presidential election. In the fall of that year, conservative bloggers took aim at the legitimacy of then-CBS anchor Dan Rather's report on President George W. Bush's National Guard records.
"CBS spent five years on that story, and in 12 hours the collective intelligence of the center-right bloggers tore it apart," Krempasky said. "The collective did something, and they helped bring Dan Rather down."
Krempasky was among dozens who came together last week for a conference to discuss political blogging's future at George Washington University.
Politicians can get swarmed, and they can hope to trigger some swarming themselves.
Rich Chrismer, spokesman for Sen. Jim Talent, R-Mo., said Talent has been using blogs and the Internet to reach new audiences.
"Senator Talent is blazing a trail to use new technologies to communicate with his constituents," Chrismer asserted.
When Talent traveled to the Middle East last winter, he posted a daily journal on his blog along with photos of him with U.S. troops in Iraq. Talent's Web site also produces a podcast - an Internet broadcast - that lets users listen to Talent's speeches and other media.
Glenn Campbell, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, D-Mo., said hearing from constituents on issues via blogs is still not as prevalent as when citizens call, e-mail, write, or attend town hall meetings.
"But it is kind of a reinforcer of what you're looking for or worried about," Campbell said. "It is really a snapshot of how people feel about things."
Blunt's office disputed the conservative bloggers' contention that he wasn't as open to them as other candidates and therefore suffered in the blogosphere.
"Congressman Blunt enjoys working with bloggers and understands and appreciates the tremendous role they play in our democracy," spokeswoman Jessica Boulanger said.
While bloggers believe they have already made a splash in influential politics, controlling the wave can be difficult.
Liberal bloggers campaigned heavily against President George W. Bush's nomination of Justice Samuel P. Alito, but he was confirmed.
Before that, right-leaning bloggers blasted the president's initial nominee, Harriet Miers, and she later withdrew.
Peter Daou, who handled the blogging effort for Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign, thinks blogging will become a potent voice in American politics.
"Five to 10 years from now, if the proper catalysts are in place, this community could become a really powerful force," said Daou, who also runs Salon.com's Daou Report, a blog.
Those catalysts are the swarms and hurricanes of bloggers from across the political spectrum, uniting to influence policies and agendas.
Liberal blogger John Aravosis said the swarms are living things you can mold, but coordination is not easy. "You can create a hurricane, but can the hurricane manage itself?" asked Aravosis, who runs AMERICAblog. "I'm pretty good at blowing up things, but I can't tell you the one, two, three on how to do it. And I can't guarantee it will work."
Bloggers also have become more polarized and absorbed into the base of each party, said Alex Pareene, an editor at the popular Washington gossip blog Wonkette.
Bloggers may never be able to organize themselves efficiently. Bill Beutler, a senior writer at the National Journal's Hotline blog, said coordinating is a lot like controlling the weather.
"I think they're fooling themselves if they think they can ever control it," Beutler said. "They may agree on the actual substance of it, but they can't agree how to tactically affect it."
The Super Swarm will occur when Her Heinous gets the Democrat nomination for Prez. All the old scandals and a bunch of new ones will come to light. When Hitlery hits the red state campaign trail with gun control and abortion chained to one wrist and the First Sodomite chained to the other, it'll be a true gloatfest for conservatives.
One of the dangers is being manipulated.
"Five to 10 years from now, if the proper catalysts are in place, this community could become a really powerful force,"
Easier and cheaper to buy than the MSM, perhaps?
As for the story, all I can say is: Run, Hillie, run!
Bwah hah hah hah hah!
It will be a gloatfest for conservatives if and only if we have a conservative GOP nominee.
Yes, I think between forums like Free Republic, talk radio, and blogswarming, we are going to give the Witch Queen a hotfoot if she's fool enough to run.
Here's just a specimen of nasty info I ran across and have spread across the internet:
As opposed to the MSM throwing their (bloated, egotistical, arrogant) weight around. The MSM has never let a good dose of facts and truth interfere with one of their loads of horse manure.
Cool! Thanks for the links!
The Hildabeast will not run if the polls do not imporve. She hates to lose!
"The Hildabeast will not run if the polls do not improve. She hates to lose!"
Don't bet on it; this is her chance to make up for her d*ck-swingin' hubby, the vast right wing conspiracy, the filthy rich, and mean white people. She considers it to be her destiny, not an option. She has $200+ million dollars already for this fight, is getting more, and no real challengers from her own party. She will run.
The true challenge will be for the Republicans to get someone who can beat her for the minority and female swing vote, because that is where the '08 election will be won, not among the diehards on either side. Why do you think Bush has been so open-armed about the Hispanic immigration issue - no Hispanic vote for the GOP in '08, and Hillery will definately be in the White House. We also cannot be sure of what backlash will be generated by the reworked Supreme Court between now and them, but Hillery will play it to the hilt - again, the swing vote is what wins elections.
Still, I'm hopeful. In fact, when I get a "Run, Hillery, Run" bumper sticker myself, I'll put it right on....the front of my car...
DRAFT CONDI '08
Liberal bloggers take on a fantastical conspiracy-theory, lunatic-fringe mode...incapable of convincing arguments because of their shrillness.
For the most part, I think too, conservatives are not afraid to disagree with the policies of their party. When liberal bloggers "disagree" with their political leaders it seems to be because the political leaders are not "hateful" enough to Bush.
Thank you. Why can't anyone in the MSM get that straight?
Liberal bloggers campaigned heavily against President George W. Bush's nomination of Justice Samuel P. Alito, but he was confirmed. (Losers!)
Before that, right-leaning bloggers and FReepersblasted the president's initial nominee, Harriet Miers, and she later withdrew. (Winners -- big time! [Just ask "The Dan"...]) LOL!!!
JimRob, my hat is off to you: you saw the future and put in place a superb tool for conservative activism!! There is no way an amorphous "blog" can match the focused power of FR!!!
How does it feel to be surfing the very front of a massively powerful wave?
Thank you, Jim, for your foresight and persistence!!!!!
Most of us would agree that network TV had great influence from about 1952 until 1998. After all Walter Cronkite was the most trusted man in America and Rather may be less of an ideologue than Cronkite. Cronkite certainly did not create an organization but he made and broke presidents and senators.
Blogs don't need to organize people into demonstrating groups of petition signers. Blogs only need to disseminate information that the rest of the media ignores.
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