January 23, 2007

1/23: 'Cause That's Where The Activists Are

Perhaps drawn online for the same reason that Willie Sutton robbed banks, bloggers are noticing that '08 Dem candidates are more internet savvy than their GOP counterparts (perhaps too much so). While plenty of pro-life bloggers did show up to blog 1/22's March for Life in DC, leading conservatives admit that the right is just not as developed online as the left. Maybe conservative bloggers are going to have to post some Lieberman-like victories (or significantly out raise their lefty counterparts) before WH GOPers engage the medium as well as Dems do.

CLINTON: Ceding Small Businesses?

Lefty bloggers are raising questions about the strategy behind Hillary Clinton's blog banner ad buy. MyDD's Matt Stoller notes HRC's "conversation extends to the right-wing blogosphere, including Power Line and Captain's Quarters." [ed note: and at Townhall too]. Stoller finishes: "Why do people like HRC, no matter how often it becomes clear that wingnuts hate us, seek approval from wingnuts?"

After watching HRC's 1/22 chat, Taylor Marsh notes "sole proprietor blogs are small businesses" and goes on to criticize Team Hillary's ad buy for choosing only "the heaviest hitters" while ignoring "small business blogs." Marsh says the move contradicts HRC's rhetoric "which will become policy if elected" and that the issue was important "because I depend on my readers to help me pay the bills." More Marsh: "John Edwards didn't play it like Clinton when he announced. He advertised on small business, single proprietor blogs like mine as well. He gets "need" to his core."[ed. note: Peter Daou tells Hotline HRC did buy ads at Marsh's site, but was told by the vendor her ad space was full. HRC ads shoud be appearing on her site soon.]

Contacted about the buy, Clinton nat'l spokesman Phil Singer tells Hotline: "We're on some conservative sites because we're not ceding any territory. We take nothing for granted."

Earlier 1/22 Stoller also told readers Clinton "failed her most significant test as a Senator. ... And she failed it for the next five years, until her Presidential campaign started, and she realized Iraq would still be on the table." Stoller says he was surprised Clinton chose to "gloss" over Iraq in her announcement and then closes by asking "anti-Clinton" readers what she could do to gain their support. An apology straightforward apology seemed to be the consensus.

Lefty bloggers had mixed reactions to HRC pollster Mark Penn suggestions that Clinton is the only Dem "tough enough to beat back" GOPers. Taylor Marsh argued "Clinton's team does have a valid point," adding that "if Clinton is the nominee ... you can bet Hillary Clinton can withstand anything and give back just as good. That's going to matter." MyDD's Chris Bowers strongly disagreed writing: "One of my goals is to help diffuse the Democratic obsession with electability, which I believe is extremely damaging to the party around the country. It makes Democrats appear pandering, out of touch and dishonest. ... It is sad to see the Clinton camp to play the electability card so early in the process, even if it isn't entirely surprisingly that it was DLC-nexus uber-pollster Mark Penn who did it."

RICHARDSON: Bonhomie In Short Supply

TAPPED's Sam Rosenfeld admits he doesn't "actually know a great deal of specifics about" Bill Richardson, and so asks: "Is he, on the substantive merits, worthy of serious consideration by liberals?"

TAPPED's Ezra Klein responds, writing about a recent breakfast where Richardson touted his tax cuts and expressed excitement about Mars to a roomful of progressives. Klein concludes: "Richardson's legendarily kinetic bonhomie was on short supply; instead, we got an understated technocrat muttering about growth. His governance of New Mexico has been capable, though not particularly distinguished in any one area, and his record as Energy Secretary would make for some nasty negative ads."

GOP FIELD: Revless

The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez posts Rush Limbaugh's thoughts on the GOP field so far: "To be honest with you, there's nobody out there that revs me up, so why should I pretend that there is?" Instapundit also linked and added: "[i]f Limbaugh can't get excited about their field, who will?"

The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers sat down with National Review's Ramesh Ponnuru who said he trusted Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS), ex-MA Gov. Mitt Romney (R) and ex-Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) "all to veto non-pro-life legislation and to appoint judges who would vote on the right side of Roe v. Wade." Ponnuru refused to endorse Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) or ex-NY mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) "as safekeepers of the pro-life cause."

Townhall's Hugh Hewitt seconded Amy Schatz' Wall Street Journalarticle observations "on the indifference to new media on the GOP side (with the exception being Governor Romney) which contrasts sharply with the rush to link up with the left's netroots on the part of all of the major Democratic contenders." Hewitt theorizes that GOP online shortcomings stem from electoral strength that has left "certain political muscles undeveloped." Hewitt then singles at McCain as "hostile to new media" since he is "a candidate who has been so warmly embraced by old media in years past. It is like asking a Cardinal in line for the papacy at the time of the Reformation what he thought of Luther."

Ankle Biting Pundit's Bull Dog Pundit took exception to Hewitt's labeling him a "hired hand" of McCain and demanded a correction from Hewitt.

BROWNBACK: Hybrid Driver

Townhall's Katie Favazza reports Sam Brownback's 1/21 speech to Catholic U. College GOPers focussed on the "growing concern amongst the pro-life community" on the effect of prenatal diagnoses on down syndrome births. Brownback "minded the audience that despite this growing cultural shift to eliminate disabled persons from our community, "There is a waiting list in this country to adopt Down Syndrome children." Favazza adds: "The senator drives a hybrid Honda Civic, in case any of you were wondering."

At 1/22 March for Life rally, The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers reports Brownback touched on down syndrome again and also highlighted his sponsorship of the Unborn Pain Awareness Act which "requires that mothers be informed of the "extreme" pain their unborn child will experience during and abortion and be offered anesthesia for the child."

Not at the March for Life rally, Instapundit posts the following exchange from Rush Limbaugh on Brownback:

CALLER: What do you think about Brownback's chances?
RUSH: (Laughs.)

GIULIANI: "Might Actually Be Serious"

Rudy Giuliani received wide blogger praise for his Bush '04 adviser Patrick Ruffini hire. Hugh Hewitt writes, "Rudy Gets It," and Instapundit calls it a "good hire."

The Corner's Kathryn Jean Lopez says the move is "another hint that he might really actually be serious about this presidential thing" and predicts Giuliani "could very well wind up being the guy to beat on the Republican side, flaws and all."

ROMNEY: Rapid Response, Romney Style

GOPProgress' Liz Mair obtained a copy of material attacking Mitt Romney from 1/22's March for Life rally. The flier is headed "ROMNEY ON ABORTION" and tells readers: "Romney Was Pro-Choice, Supported Roe V. Wade, Taxpayer Funding Of Abortions, Morning-After Pill." Hugh Hewitt asks: "Assuming this report is accurate, you have to wonder if this flier is being put out by one of Romney's opponents -- or if is a true grassroots effort."

At first the flier had RedState's Erick Erickson questioning his support for Romney, but Erickson was quickly reassured due to the "excellent work" done by Romney's campaign responding to the charge. Erickson describes the whole flier as "misleading: and then muses: "I wonder if Mr. Weaver is involved in this."

BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY: Club For Us

DailyKos' founder Markos Moulitsas celebrated the unveiling of They Work For Us, a PAC led by Steve Rosenthal with members including the SEIU, the United Steelworkers, MoveOn, the American Association for Justice (formerly the American Trial Lawyers Association), and Daily Kos.

Kos then identifies the PAC's first three targets Reps. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), Al Wynn (D-MD), Henry Cuellar (D-TX). Kos explains: "This is a potent alliance, and one that will have real muscle as we look to target not "conservative" Democrats, but Democrats who are out of step with their districts (a key and important distinction). This is no lame-brained Club for Growth clone -- an operation obsessed with ideological purity without regard to electoral realities."

MyDD's Matt Stoller explains how TWFU "is going to be much more powerful" than Club for Growth since it is "people-powered," "mainstream," and, "faster." Also at MyDDChris Bowers explains why the group will also be targeting GOP "wingnut incumbents." The Plank's John Judis is not impressed with the idea arguing Ned Lamont's candidacy cost the Dems at one House seat in CT thus undermining the groups stated goals.

BLOGGERS VS. BELTWAY II: Bushless

1/22's March for Life was heavily blogged by left and right. The Right Angle's Ivy Sellers reports "the streets were filled with pro-lifers, young and old, male and female, black, white and brown." Townhall's Mary Katharine Ham links to photo albums here and here. MyManMitt, LaShawn Barber and Katie Favazza also blogged the march. The Right Angle's Tim Carney notes: "President Bush, for the sixth straight year, couldn't make it to the March for Life. Quite an unfortunate coincidence, for sure."

Blogs for Life held a blogger conference 1/22. Townhall's Katie Favazzaliveblogged the proceedings. LaShawn Barber writes: "The panel went well. The discussion focused on blogging in general rather than pro-life blogging in particular. Reminded me that I need to do more pro-life blogging."

Sellers later summarized Human Event's Online editor Robert Bluey's remarks to the conference: "Left-wing blogosphere is more developed than that of the right. They bring in more money and seem to be more together on messaging. Blogging is exciting right now though. Now is the time to jump in. Stop thinking about it and do it -- it's not that hard."

The day did not go unnoticed by lefty blogs as Unfogged's Lizardbreadth thoughts on her own abortion were widely linked to. LB explains continuing her pregnancy "wouldn't have been an epic tragedy for me" and that "the only thing being able to get an abortion did for me was give me some control over the course of the entire rest of my life." LB goes on: "So, politically useful as it is, I get a little edgy about rhetoric that stipulates that abortion is always a strongly morally weighted decision."

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum agrees explaining "Paying obeisance to the view that abortion is an overwhelming emotional and moral decision is politically useful," but "there's also a real downside to the constant repetition of this kind of rhetoric since it serves to confirm that abortion should be an emotional rollercoaster, which in turn suggests that unborn fetuses really do have a morally ambiguous status. Pro-choice politicians ought to keep this in mind too."

Atrios adds: "I'm sure plenty find it traumatic and I'm sure plenty have regrets for various reasons. There's no one way individual women should be expected to feel about abortion. If you don't think 3 month old fetuses are people, then it might not trouble you all that much."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Born-Again Atheist?

Blog P.I. is continues tracking Sen. James Webb's (D-VA) facebook profile writing: "I do wonder what is the point of a politician (not seeking national office) devoting staff time to a gimmick like Facebook. It won't raise money, it won't get his message out, and even if it does, almost certainly not to his constituents (and certainly not those who actually vote). Perhaps this is his last update until 2012, or at least until the next recess. Meantime, he'd be much better advised to take his official blog off hiatus."

BPI goes on to "caution against reading too much of anything into anything that happens with a politician's social networking page" but then does not that Webb recently removed "Faith" from his "Favorite Activities" list. BPI quips: "That doesn't make him the first born-again atheist senator, does it?"

LEST WE FORGET: Dilbert Fans Are Moving To Iraq

The Dilbert Blog can't help commenting on news that Shiite Muslims in Iraq are stepping up their practice of "temporary marriage." Adams explains: "A Shiite man can have more than one wife, so whether he is married or single, if he wants to buy some sex, he arranges a secret and temporary marriage. It could last for a few hours or a few years. Some Shiites believe it's all sanctioned by Islamic law. Among its many benefits, it is seen as a humane way to care for widows. I think it's obvious that God would support this concept. I can't think of a more humane way to take care of a widow than to turn her into a whore."

Adams adds: "According to the Washington Post story, a temporary wife only costs $4 per month plus living expenses. I hesitate to mention this because I know that some of my frugal male readers are already considering converting to Islam and moving to Iraq: "On one hand, there's an 80% chance of being killed within a week. On the other hand, those are VERY reasonable prices."

Posted by Conn Carroll at January 23, 2007 12:16 PM