September 05, 2006
9/5: Selling Out Or Growing Up?
Progressive blog stalwart firedoglake is taking criticism from some quarters for hiring a press sec. to handle the blogs' main stable of writers. These critics argue that a movement describing itself as "people powered" ought not have press secs since "real people" don't have them either. The Blogometer is much less distressed by this development. In fact, our feelings are quite the opposite. Looking at the top 10 most trafficked blogs, only DailyKos, Crooks and Liars, Michelle Malkin, and Instapundit started out as lone blogger-hobbyists. The other 6 (including The Huffington Post, The Corner, and Think Progress) are either planned business enterprises, outgrowths of existing MSM pubs, or online presences of otherwise established orgs. Many may have a romantic ideal of bloggers as loners mashing away at a keypad in their pajamas, but the biggest and best blogs all feature intelligent professionals, often with advanced degrees, commenting on issues at least tangentially related to their field of expertise. As these enterprises gain in influence and profitability, should we really be that surprised as they become more professional as well?
BLOGGERS VS. BLOGGERS: What If She Promised To Work In Her Pajamas?
Natural Born Killers producer and progressive activist Jane Hamsher at firedoglake announced 9/2 that FDL hired Christina Siun O'Connell as Team FDL's new press sec. Hamsher writes: "Many will know her as a valued member of the FDL community and also for her work handling press for Yearly Kos. She's also a good friend and I'm really looking forward to having her on board."
Some observers didn't care for the personnel move. Danny Glover at Beltway Blogroll (go team!): "The netroots pride themselves on being just plain folks -- you know, 'people power' and all that. ... So could someone please explain why in the world Firedoglake, one of the top liberal blogs, has hired a press secretary? That's about as establishment as you can get. I hate to break it to Jane Hamsher, who certainly didn't explain the logic of the move well, but real people don't have press secretaries. And blogs shouldn't need them."
On the right Instapundit quipped: "Seems a bit, um, self-infatuated to me, even by the rather relaxed standards of the blogosphere."
BLOGGERS VS. MSM: What Is Stephen Glass Up To These Days?
The New Republic editor Franklin Foer replaced Lee Siegel's TNR blog with this brief "An Apology to Our Readers" sometime 9/1:
After an investigation, The New Republic has determined that the comments in our Talkback section defending Lee Siegel's articles and blog under the username "sprezzatura" were produced with Siegel's participation. We deeply regret misleading our readers. Lee Siegel's blog will no longer be published by TNR, and he has been suspended from writing for the magazine.
Shakespeare's Sister writes an unforgiving recap of Seigel's less than friendly relationship with the blogosphere, the less civilized portions of which he described as "blogofascism." SS links to a Lawyers, Guns, and Money collection of "sprezzatura" defenses of Seigel.
LANDSCAPE: The Dynamic Duo
Chris Bowers at MyDD helps Mark Blumenthal and Charles Franklin promote their new joint project Pollster.com, which, among "other goodies," includes 5- and 10-poll averages for 11 top tier Sen races including:
Washington: Cantwell 51, McGavick 40
Pennsylvania: Casey 49, Santorum 40
Minnesota: Klobuchar 49, Kennedy 40
Ohio: Brown 46, DeWine 40
Montana: Tester 47, Burns 44
New Jersey: Menendez 43, Kean 40
Rhode Island: Whitehouse 42, Chafee 40
Missouri: Talent 47, McCaskill 45
Tennessee: Corker 46, Ford 42
Virginia: Allen 48, Webb 42
Arizona: Kyl 48, Pederson 37
Bowers concludes: "If small websites operated by two or three people can provide far better information on American elections than organizations with hundreds of employees such as CNN, what on earth are those large outlets spending their money on? Man, I love the blogosphere."
CT SEN: Kissing Now, Civility Later
Natural Born Killers producer and progressive activist Jane Hamsher at firedoglake has video from CNN of blogger CT Keith breaking up a scuffle between Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and cable exec Ned Lamont (D-CT) supporters at a New Town, CT Labor Day parade. Not in the video, Hamsher repeats this exchange from later in the day:
Keith also got a chance to talk to Joe briefly, and tried to hand him a "kiss" button. "That's a bunch of nonsense," said Lieberman. Later, Joe approached Keith once again and said, "it's very important that we stay civil." "I agree with that, Senator, but it's more important that we stop this war," said Keith.
At TPM CafeGreg Sargent notes the relaunch of www.joe2006.com includes a blog. Atrios warns his fellow lefty travelers: "A reminder that the Lieberman blog is apparently going live tomorrow. It's basically going to be a trap to entice people to say mean things about the Last Honest Man so they can go whine to the press about how mean everyone is unlike Stay the Course Joe. I give it about 36 hours until they send out a press release along those lines."
PA SEN: Our Guy Won
Not many surprises in blogger reax to 9/3's Meet The Press debate between Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and state Treas. Bob Casey Jr. (D). The SantorumBlogliveblogged the debate and felt Santorum came out on top: "I don't know what it was, if it was something said by Casey or Russert, but Santorum woke up and tapped into his passion. You could hear it in his answer, see it in his body language in his ability to not let Casey or Russert take control of the debate. That's what will carry him through to victory on election day."
On the left, John in DC at AMERICAblog posted video clips and summed up the debate this way: "Santorum called George Bush a 'terrific president,' admitted to sleeping in Pennsylvania just one month a year, reiterated his support for privatizing Social Security, praised Bush's handling of Iraq and insisted there were WMD in Iraq even though the White House has acknowledged there weren't. Casey laid out a new direction, calling for the Iraqis to take the lead on their own security and detailing specific ways for enhancing the U.S. military. He outlined a plan to balance the budget and spoke about the need for Pennsylvania to have a Senator who will hold George Bush accountable for advancing an ineffective agenda."
At National Review OnlineKathryn Jean Lopez posts the entire text of Team Santorum's post-deabte spin including: "During their first debate encounter on NBC's 'Meet the Press,' U.S. Senator Rick Santorum was clear and straightforward on his positions on the issues, while Bobby Casey Jr. spent the hour ducking and dodging the issues."
RI SEN: 34,600 YouTubers Can't Be Wrong
Patrick Casey at National Review Online follows up on Providence Journalreporting of Sen. Lincoln Chafee's (R-RI) efforts to distance himself from an NRSC ad attacking Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey (R) on immigration: "It doesn't let Chafee off easy, pointing out that the only reason that the ad is off the air now is that it had run its paid course - neither the NRSC nor Chafee took the ad off in response to complaints from the Latino groups. The ad really is a nasty piece of work, rating a big one star after 34,600 viewings on YouTube where it is now posted."
VA SEN: What's In A Name Anyway?
QandO's Jon Henke announced 8/31 that he had "accepted a job as Netroots Coordinator with the George Allen Senate Campaign." Henke offered two reasons for joining the campaign: "1. George Allen has gotten a raw deal from the press and Democrats on some issues and innuendos and that... 2. I find his "libertarian, trusting, free-people approach", his "Common Sense Jeffersonian Conservative Principles" and his Reaganesque belief in libertarian ideals very attractive."
Beltway Blogroll (go team!) claimed credit for the hire: "When Sen. George Allen opened his mouth and inserted 'macaca' a couple of weeks ago, I offered the Virginia Republican some unsolicited advice: Get a blog, and hire a blog expert. ... Coincidence? You decide, but I think I'll take credit for this one. Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters also should take a bow. He recommended Henke to Allen in a post last week."
BB also had some sound advice for Henke's first order of business: "Now for some advice to Henke and the Allen campaign: Change the name of the job description. 'Netroots' is a term coined by and associated with bloggers on the left -- you know, the ones that folks on the right derisively call the 'nutroots.' That's not exactly the message you want to be sending fresh out of the blog gate."
Blogometer alum William Beutler at Blog PI passes along this Henke email explanation of Team Allen thinking: "The leftosphere is very good at getting their campaign message to bloggers, getting bloggers to talk about the campaigns and spreading the muck through back channels. The Allen campaign wants to establish some outreach to supportive bloggers and to make sure our side of heard when the Leftosphere is smearing us."
TERROR POLITICS I: A Target Rich Environment
Brother of blogger Mickey Kaus, Stephen Kaus, takes to The Huffington Post to celebrate the Dems new found unity on Iraq: "Finally, the Democrats have settled on a strategy so functional, that even Rahm Emanuel sees its wisdom: call for Donald Rumsfeld to be fired. ... And what a great target Rumsfeld is." After reading Thomas Ricks' Fiasco Kaus compiles his top ten Rumsfled Iraq errors:
1. No "Phase IV" plan.
2. Ignoring the world so we were on our own.
3. Too few soldiers to fight.
4. Too few soldiers to prevent looting and damage.
5. Ignoring the Sunni triangle.
6. Too few troops to establish rapport.
7. Too few soldiers to handle prisoners plus a confused command
structure. Result: Abu Gharib.
8. Allowing most of the U.S. senior military leadership to resign
in the middle of the battle.
9. Appointing Paul Bremmer to replace General Jay Garner to head
the occupation.
10. Promoting General Ricardo Sanchez to command the entire U.S.
ground force in Iraq.
Captain's Quarters acknowledge's Rumsfeld's declinign popularity, but still isn't impressed with the new Dem strategy: "Rumsfeld can be blamed for some of the above, but making him personally responsible for the actions of a handful of soldiers in Abu Ghraib just reduces this to grandstanding. ... This letter gives the perfect reason why Democrats can't be trusted with national security, anyone's national security. They want the Middle East to dismember Iraq with our blessing instead of against our opposition. They want the peace of surrender ... or phased redeployment."
Back on the left, TalkLeft waxes nostalgic for the Saddam Hussein era while watching Bill Maher on Larry King: "I've always wondered why people think America is better off with Saddam Hussein out of power in Iraq. I can appreciate (although I don't accept at face value) the argument of those who think it's better for Iraqis that he is gone, but for Americans? I never have gotten the connection. I was channel surfing very late last night in Aspen and caught Bill Maher on Larry King Live from Friday night. Even though it was way past time for bed, I listened.
KING: Are we better off with Saddam gone? MAHER: We are not better off. We were never better off because Saddam was actually a bulwark against terrorism. He would never have allowed al Qaeda in Iraq. And I know people say oh, yes, there was al Qaeda. Yes, there was a few al Qaeda in the northern part of the country, which he did not control. So in a lot of ways we are Saddam except for one thing, he at least had control of his country.TalkLeft concludes: "That sounds about right to me. Your thoughts?"
TERROR POLITICS II: Must See Pro-Bush Propaganda?
ABC's "The Path to 9/11" is still five days away from airing, but it has already created its own blogswarm. Lefty bloggers, like Sheldon Rampton at firedoglake, argue that the 6-hour two-part docudrama set begin 9/10 is "written and produced by conservative filmmakers who place a lion's share of the blame for the 9/11 terrorist attacks on alleged failures of the Clinton administration." Rampton reports: "The show's political slant is evident from the fact that Rush Limbaugh is talking up the movie, noting that its screenwriter, Cyrus Nowrasteh, is a personal friend. ... I searched Technorati for mentions of the film and found 260 references, mostly from conservative websites, every single one of which had nothing but praise for the film. And although I found numerous examples of conservative pundits and bloggers who reported seeing pre-broadcast screenings, no leftist pundits or bloggers had been given a chance to see it."
Also at firedoglake, Jennifer Nix was unnerved by her inability to land an advanced screening. Using her old Variety contacts Nix was unable to get any ABC spokespeople on the phone. She asks: "So, let's review. This very high-profile movie is airing next weekend, and all five of the listed contacts were out all day yesterday, making it impossible to get advance copies? This, after ABC made the mini-series available to a plethora of wing-nut bloggers and media personalities like Mr. Limbaugh?"
On the right John J. Miller at National Review Online noticed "several left-wing blog sites are encouraging their readers to protest ABC's upcoming miniseries" and advises "watch for attempts this week to smear the miniseries. Don't believe the hype. Just plan to watch it for yourself. It's truly must-see TV."
Also at NRO, Andy McCarthy sees too much influence from "former White House counterterrorism coordinator Dick Clarke" but still concludes: "It is generally good history and accurately conveys the excruciating missed opportunities. It is not partisan. The Bush administration is portrayed as just as asleep-at-the-switch as the Clinton administration - particularly in the person of then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice (the Clarke influence really comes through here)."
IMMIGRATION: Just Another Word For National Security?
Conservative Michelle Malkin welcomes news that amnesty appears dead for this session but argues that: "running away from the immigration chaos that remains five years after the 9/11 attacks isn't going to make anyone happy. If Washington doesn't understand that immigration control IS domestic national security issue number one by now, it never will."
Also on the right, Captain's Quarters believes Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) has not abandoned border-security, only de-coupled the issue from a more comprehensive immigration reform.
If Democrats are forced to vote against border security, or more likely to filibuster it, it will provide Republicans with a powerful talking point for the midterms. ... For that reason, although the Times may have it technically right, I suspect that Frist has a plan to force a vote on strengthening the border. ... I'd expect Frist to try to move the House bill to the Senate floor and let the chips fall where they may. With an overwhelming majority of voters wanting the southern border secured, the issue is a natural winner for the GOP.
TalkLeft will be on the look out for any such efforts: "I smell a rat. I wouldn't put it past Sensenbrenner to sneak the worst parts of H.R. 4437, which passed the House but not the Senate, into new legislation tagged as national security legislation. To get around what they call "amnesty" they'll just leave out the guest worker provisions."
CLINTON: Opening Or Closing?
Matt Stoller at MyDD forwards MoveOn's non-endorsement of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) announcement: "In voting over the last day, neither Hillary Rodham Clinton nor Jonathan Tasini garnered the two-thirds support from MoveOn members necessary for an endorsement. The margin in our online vote was 56 percent for Clinton and 44 percent for Tasini."
Stoller adds: "In the netroots poll in June, Clinton had a 65-33 favorable/unfavorable rating, with those ratings dipping among people who read blogs. The 56-44 vote total represents either a dip of online support, or suggests that those who voted disproportionately read blogs. Regardless, this was just for her Senate reelection campaign, not the Presidency, which suggests that there is a large opening to the left of Clinton in 2008."
RENDELL: Better Ed Than Red?
Kausfiles looks at the Dem field minus HRC and has his own suggestion for the nomination: "If Hillary takes herself out of the 2008 race, that will focus a lot of attention on the alleged shortage of other appealing Dem candidates. (You know the litany: Edwards is too light and too left, Biden's too impressed with his own motormouth, Warner and Bayh are too dull, Kerry is Kerry.) I've asked this before, but what's wrong with Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell? So far nobody's come up with a convincingly fatal flaw. ... Of course, it's not like Pennsylvania's a crucial swing state. ... Oh, wait. ...
GIULIANI: The Next Alan Alda
Ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani received rave lefty reviews for his appearance with LG Michael Steele (R-MD) in Potomac, MD 8/31. According to Slate's John Dickerson Giuliani quieted a GOP crowd excited by an audience member's attack on Dem foreign policy. Giuliani reportedly said: "The other thing we have to learn is that we can't get into this partisan bickering. The fact is that Republicans and Democrats have the same objectives. Democrats are loyal Americans. Republicans are loyal Americans. I think we have better answers, but we have to respect each other."
TalkLeft reacted: "Say what? No more calling Democrats traitors? No more comparing them to terrorists? What will that leave Rove and Cheney and Rummy and Lieberman? Next thing you know Rudy will be defending gay marriage and the right to choose. I saw that season of the West Wing -- did Alan Alda win? I forget.
ROMNEY: But How Many Shakespeares Can He Read?
Toby Barlow at The Huffington Post bemoans MA GOV Mitt Romney's comparison of stem cell research with an "Orwellian future." Barlow writes:
You can almost see your High School English teachers wincing as they heard that. In fact, anyone familiar with even the Cliff Notes edition of "1984" could tell you that Orwell wasn't concerned with the abuse of science - that was Huxley in "Brave New World." Orwell's interest was the language of government, how it's used to manipulate, distort, and mislead - for instance, like Mitt Romney did with this announcement.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Whither The South Park Republicans?
Libertarian Hit and Run reprints John Tierney's 8/29 New York Times op-ed "South Park Refugees" including the following passages:
According to Wikipedia, which would definitely be these voters' encyclopedia of choice, South Park Republicans are young Americans who "hold political beliefs that are, in general, aligned with those that seem to underpin gags and storylines in the popular television cartoon." The encyclopedia summarizes these beliefs with a quotation from one of the show's creators, Matt Stone, which includes a crucial expletive I must elide: "I hate conservatives, but I really ... hate liberals."
Stone and Parker were never thrilled to be G.O.P. poster boys and said they weren't sure what a South Park Republican was. They were generally reluctant to be pigeonholed ideologically, but last week they clarified it by headlining at a Reason magazine conference in Amsterdam, the libertarian version of Davos. Stone and Parker said that if you had to put a label on them, they were libertarian-and that didn't mean Republican to this crowd.
The religious right used to be a better alternative, Parker said. "The Republicans didn't want the government to run your life, because Jesus should. That was really part of their thing: less government, more Jesus. Now it's like, how about more government and Jesus?" ... That may sound like a winning ticket to the religious right, and to Republic strategists who've assumed that libertarians have nowhere else to go. But some are ready to switch parties. The rest can always stay home and find something better on TV.
LEST WE FORGET: Winglish-English Dictionary
The Reality-Based Community has a handy guide for lefty bloggers to help understand Winglish, "the language spoken by the wing-nuts now running the country and by their journalistic supporters." Entries include:
- alternative energy sources /n. phr./ 1. New locations to drill for gas and oil. 2. Coal mines.
- bipartisan /n./ Favorable to Republicans, but involving Democrats. (See also "partisan," "nonpartisan.")
- No Child Left Behind A Federal law enacting the statistical wisdom of Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average.
- stuff happens /idiomatic phr./ I don't have to live in Baghdad.
- voter fraud /n. phr./ Significant minority turnout.
Posted by Conn Carroll at September 5, 2006 12:45 PM
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