Posted on 10/31/2006 2:11:06 PM PST by fight_truth_decay
MSNBC.com and MSNBC TV are partnering with HotSoup.com, a new Web site for political and public issue debate.
HotSoup's "Hot Loop" by editor-in-chief Ron Fournier will be posted daily on MSNBC.com. Mr. Fournier, who broke a number of big political stories when he worked for the Associated Press, also will write a weekly analysis piece for MSNBC.com. The new feature can be found at Politics.MSNBC.com.
Since going live Oct. 19, HotSoup has already attracted thousands of members some very high-powered politicians, including both Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and her husband, former president Clinton.
HotSoup.com co-founders Matthew Dowd, chief strategist for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign, and Joe Lockhart, Mr. Clinton's former press secretary, will make weekly TV appearances on "Hardball With Chris Matthews" and other MSNBC programs.
"We're excited to be able to tap into the HotSoup community," Tammy Haddad, MSNBC's Washington VP and "Hardball" executive producer, said Tuesday. The relationship "will allow MSNBC to bring the voice of the voter into our political coverage," she said.
"The community will decide what issues are relevant," Lockhart said. "We didn't want this to be seen as a tug of war between left and right."
The partners say that they - Mark McKinnon, Matthew Dowd, who were senior advisers in President Bush's last two campaigns, Joe Lockhart, a spokesman for President Bill Clinton, and Carter Eskew, a top strategist in Al Gore's presidential campaign - wanted to avoid an inside-the-Beltway focus and those featured on HotSoup would be local community leaders. But they were not clear on how they would find these "local folks" [Yes, he said, 'local folks'], especially since participants will not be paid.
Dowd described "the 10 percent of the public he terms "opinion drivers" as people teaching Bible class, coaching Little League or volunteering in soup kitchens -- and very interested in news. We have a technology that can bring people back together in a town-hall format."
The venture was set to emulate the social networking appeal of such sites as MySpace.com, in part by including discussions of books and perhaps movies. Their hope was "to reach 30 million opinion leaders, elevate public discussion on matters from politics to sports to culture and in the process, make them some money."
Michael Turk, a former colleague of two of the HotSoup founders and VP of Industry Grassroots for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association predicted HotSoup to become just the opposite, a " political version of Jerry Springer with pundits stoking the fire".
Chris Matthews has been pimping for hotsoup.com since way back last summer.
Starting to appear the youngsters know the left is playing them for the fool and staying away from all that trash!
Appears some on the Left are not happy with CNN, MSNBC and, of course, FOX.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/10/19/125148/65
Heading reads SCREW CNN.. "a fawning imbecile who spews gossip and trivia and sensationalism like it is all-important".
sorry didn't know....have not watched him or that lib/dem drivel in quite a while....
Funny, Joe Lockhart is the moderate of the two. Watched Dowd on Hardball earlier. Might as well have worn kneepads.
No kidding!
I love the comment about BBC being so good!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.