February 08, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: Iowa Voice

While it seems just about anybody's true identity is eventually revealed, many bloggers still feel safer using a pseudonym when blogging. Brian from Iowa Voice is no different and he chose the following questions from our usual lineup to answer.

When did you first get involved in politics and why?

I've been following politics since the early 1990s, around the time of the Gulf War. Up until that time, I'd never really given much thought as to what party I belonged to, but I always had a core set of beliefs that I followed. It wasn't until I really started following politics that I realized I was a conservative Republican, and I've been one ever since.

When did you start blogging and why?

I didn't really know what a blog was until around October of 2004, right before the elections. I was really tracking the polls and stuff and I wanted to keep up with everything, and I stumbled across a site called Right Wing News, and I liked what I saw. I consider John to be my "blogfather", as the saying goes, and he's always been there with a reply whenever I've had a question on something.

Anyway, I was testing out some new content management systems and just for the heck of it I decided to start up a blog. I started it mainly as a hobby and as a way for me to voice my opinion on things going on in the country and the world. It's almost been two years since I started (March will mark my two year anniversary as a blogger) and to be honest, I never intended to keep it going this long. I thought it would be a nice little hobby for a bit and then I'd move on to something else, but it was fun, and I still enjoy doing it, so here I am two years later, still blogging.

How are blogs changing politics in your state?

To tell you the truth, I don't think we're seeing much of an impact...yet. As I said in another interview, blogs in Iowa are read mainly by people who are already set in their beliefs, and rare is the time when an Iowa blogger will change a reader's mind about something. Blogs in Iowa are useful right now for motivating people to get more active and involved, but I don't see them as really changing the political landscape. They're great for getting the message out (be it left or right), but again, I think the message is received mainly by people who already agree with it. Of course, that can change quickly. After all, 2008 is a political eternity away and nobody really knows what to expect.

As for the upcoming Presidential caucuses/primaries, the most I would go out on a limb and say is that Iowa blogs might have the potential to swing voters towards a candidate or away from them based on their coverage of them. For example, if I don't like Candidate X, I can write about that at great length on my blog. That might swing some readers who were on the fence into not supporting him/her, either. Now the question is, can I influence readers into supporting my personal choice? That's what we'll find out in the next election, I suppose.

What's your favorite most unsung specific example of a blogger affecting a political figure, organization, philosophy, or movement?

I'd have to say from recent memory how the conservative blogs got the President to back down on Harriet Miers and nominate Justice Alito for the Supreme Court. A lot of media outlets mentioned in passing the uproar from the blogs, but it was mainly an "oh, by the way" kind of remark. I think we had an enormous impact on the reversal of that decision.

Join us tomorrow for a quick questioning of fellow pseudonymous IA blogger Krusty Konservative.

Posted by Conn Carroll at February 8, 2007 12:50 PM