March 05, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: LaurinLine

Unlike some bloggers hired by WH '08 campaigns, LaurinLine's Laurin Manning shuttered her blog before going to work for Barack Obama. Bad for us blog readers, but good for Obama. Tomorrow we'll look at the blogging force behind MyManMitt.

What is your full name?

Laurin Parham Manning

What is your age?

25

What’s your hometown?

Hartsville, SC, a small town in the rural, northeastern corner of South Carolina. Cotton and tobacco country.

Where do you live now?

Columbia, SC

What is your educational background?

I have a BA in English from Wofford College, a liberal arts school in Spartanburg, SC. I'm currently completing my law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

What is your occupation?

I'm a 3rd year law student.

When did you first get involved in politics and why?

I grew up three doors down from the late Ed Saleeby, longtime state senator from my hometown. Every November Sen. Saleeby sent all of the leftover "Saleeby My Senator" lollipops that he had passed out to trick-or-treaters down to me, the youngest kid in the neighborhood. I'm pretty sure those free lollipops sparked my interest in politics.

When did you start blogging and why?

I started blogging during the summer of 2002, when I was living in Birmingham, AL and working as a summer intern at Southern Living Magazine. I didn't know many folks down there and began playing with Blogger.com out of boredom. I've been writing as long as I can remember, and I'd recently taken up web design, so blogging as a hobby seemed a natural fit. My site didn't take a decidedly political turn until a few years later. In its early stages, I wrote mostly about day-to-day minutiae. One of my first entries discussed a recipe submitted to Southern Living's annual recipe contest. The submission was for a "Wham-Bam-SPAM Cake" and called for a can of pureed SPAM.

How are blogs changing politics in your state?

State-based blogs are popular among politicos here. Several state legislators have begun maintaining blogs, indicating they recognize what an effective means of communication blogs are.

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

My friend Ross Shealy, who retired his blog several months ago, spent much time and energy combing the campaign disclosures of statewide candidates in South Carolina. He uncovered countless financial ties between many South Carolina candidates and individuals/business entities associated with Howard Rich, a New York Libertarian who has spent millions of dollars fueling a movement for school choice in South Carolina. The state's mainstream media likely wouldn't have reported these ties had it not been for Ross's investigative reporting and blogging. A coordinated effort by Ross and several other bloggers helped defeat the candidate who'd benefitted most from Rich's support. The candidate was the only Republican to lose a statewide election in South Carolina in 2006, and she lost by fewer than 500 votes.

Posted by Conn Carroll at March 5, 2007 04:44 PM