Some of the top bloggers in the country took part in a panel discussion on the impact of political blogs Tuesday night at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence. Participants included Joan McCarter, contributing editor at www.dailykos.com; Erick Erickson, managing editor at www.RedState.com; and Scott Johnson, co-founder of the Power Line blog. They said that blogs will play an increasing role in swaying and informing the public, but Erickson warned that candidates need to be prepared for the downsides of campaign blogs, the University Daily Kansan reported. “Blogs are more likely to harm you than help you, but they are a necessary tool,” he said.
Tell that to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Both of the bloggers his campaign hired have now quit, following the uproar over some of their past blog comments. Melissa McEwan left the campaign Tuesday night, the day after blogger Amanda Marcotte bailed.
Here is Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz’s take on candidates hiring bloggers: “My sense is that candidates want the hipness infusion and netroots support that bloggers offer but would like to finesse being associated with online fire-breathers — in other words, they want it both ways.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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18 Comments
There was no uproar about Edward’s bloggers. There was an attack against them by militant extremists led by the bigot William Donahue who is a racist and thinks gays should be exterminated. The Catholic church doesn’t care for him despite Donahue’s belief that he represents it.
Interesting. Hadn’t heard about the conference. Not that I probably would have driven 160 miles to be there.
Last week, when John Edwards announced he wasn’t going to fire Amanda and Melissa, I sent $25, and I called the minions in Donohue’s office to tell them. It has since been my pleasure to be hung up on by these same minions for demanding that Donohue issue a retraction in light of the threats of violence and death received by the two former Edwards bloggers.
Racists and bigots, Donohue and his minions.
…and isnt Donohue the one who slandered Jews and make anti-Semitic remarks on tv?
Pot, meet kettle.
Add in their rabid anti-choice political activities, their gay bashing, the fact that the knights of columbus in CONNECTICUT almost wholly financed the campaign for the hate amendment in kansas…
…and a thinking person could come to the conclusion that perhaps their IRS 501(c)3 status should be investigated at a minimum, and revoked in reality?
Oh, but that would be a blogger bashing catholicism, no?
heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh
How is this situation different than students who also don’t believe in Darwinian evolution, answering related questions on a science test with the “correct” answer?
It puts them in a conflict.
Sorry, wrong thread.
I think it is true that blogger can hurt the very candidates they are trying to help.
I present paulie the shillie and bonbon as the prime exhibit!!
Oh, and did I mention paulie the shilli and philllllll klein?
hehehehehehehehheehehehehehehehhe
This is why you use a fake name to blog with. You never know who is watching and how your words could bite you in the ass later.
Wichita, as hateful and bigoted as you think it is. Thanks once again for demonstrating the kind of bigoted hatemongers this filthy rag attracts to its blogs.
Right on cue angry ben.
Phillip provided the wrong link to the Kurtz article on bloggers. This is the correct link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2007/02/14/BL2007021400295.html
Never say or write anything that you wouldn’t say in front of your own granny.
During the Fall campaign was the one time I felt that I had to blog. What that came from was it seemed to me there was so much blatently false and/or distorted information about Paul Morrison, a candidate whom I supported with my money and time.
Morrison won with poll data showing that his improvement in support over the course of the campaign came from women, Republicans, and Sedgwick County voters. I think the Morrison campaign hoped to do better in Western Kansas – but comparing where they started from, they did well in Western Kansas.
I think it would be a good idea for there to be some qualitative data (focus group, for example) on why Republican voters supported Morrison over Kline.
What messages (if any) lead moderate voters to turn away from the far-right represented by Kline? This is really where the political war is in the rural U.S.A. See this book for a narrative on this urban/rural division:http://www.welcometothehomeland.com/page.php?s=1
The world of blogging can also benefit a candidate.
Recall, if you will, the fiasco CBS launched when Dan (has been) Rather “stood by” his sources in his claims about GWB’s military service.
It was the bloggers who immediately noted the juvenile error in the paper’s typeset for the era specified and turned the hoax around.
There is a lot of misinformation on these blogs – from shills like Farmie and her ilk, but there is also a lot of good discussion to be had.
Well, the last open thread, no one bit on the Mayoral campaign post that I threw up on the board. I’d say the WE Blog has no effect whatsoever on any community issues let alone campaigns.
Yeah, SherrieBaby, I do remember that.
What I remember is that the right-wing blogosphere spotted this fraud almost the second the documents appeared.
Strangely, the documents “experts” CBS had hired knew nothing “nothing” . . .
The entire episode was a Rove set-up to discredit CBS. Granted, they earned it by not checking their sources properly. They only used FAXS of the original documents for heaven’s sakes.
We wouldn’t have done that on my COLLEGE newspaper.
The whole thing was a set-up from start to finish. Shows the sorry state that journalism is in these days . . . so easily manipulated with so few resources for determining anything like an objective truth on its own.
BTW, I’m sure I speak for a lot of others when I say that KSFrmgrrl has been on this blog a lot longer than YOU, SherrieBaby.
She brings fresh perspective and humor. YOU bring nothing.
The Good Lord gave you two ears and only one mouth. Why don’t you try listening just once in a while, beeatch?
Were the WE Bloggers represented at the Lawrence, Kansas bloggers meetup and if so by whom?
I think BLOGGING is finally giving Mr. Average Citizen the chance to talk back or even shout back at politicians, editorial writers and radio commentators who formerly had a one-way street to spew forth their propaganda.
And, of course, not all bloggers are “on-line fire breathers.”
For example, I participate in a home-town blog consisting mainly of high school graduates of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. These bloggers are interested in the old home town even though most haven’t visited there for many years except for an occasional high school reunion.
Is anyone concerned about 1920’s brick streets or businesses along Main Street or if the municipal swim pool will be open this summer? Go Greenbacks!