Held recently at the Dole Institute of Politics in Kansas, moderated by David Perlmutter (author of the forthcoming Blogwars) and 5 blogger panelists, 2 of whom are from liberal blog MyDD and DailyKos. (Video here.)
The question I’d like to know the answer to is if or how blogs will affect the political landscape. Here’s a claim (not made by me but by Jerome and Mcjoan), the liberal blogging community is all about giving voice from the local level (bottom-up), while conservative blogging is all about being an arm of the traditional, already extant message and getting it out there (top-down).
That sounds a little simplistic and idealistic, but I have to confess that that is how the liberal blogs see themselves (the “netroots,” you know). Here’s that argument:
We focus on the building of movement, particularly through becoming more localized. The conservative focus has been on integrating with the other parts of the Republican machine to push the traditional media narrative in a partisan battle. Progressives, wanting to get the movement moving, get involved with community blogs through commenting and writing diaries. Conservatives go out and create their own blog, with an individual voice that adds their own voice. Of course the dynamic at work, of community and individuality, is not surprising given its prominance in American politics.
