WILLisms.com: Look Left, Look Right, The Blogosphere Is Out Of Sight.

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Look Left, Look Right, The Blogosphere Is Out Of Sight.

Apologies for that title.

Patrick Ruffini has a great post on the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the blogosphere:

Bowers trashes the conservative blogosphere as "aristocratic" and "anti-meritocratic." But if anything, the tables are now turned. Ironically, it is the liberal blogosphere that has adopted the more corporate, top-down approach to blogging: to be heard, you must go to Kos, Atrios, and Josh Marshall. This has the effect of aggrandizing a few superstar bloggers at the top, but leaving smaller liberal blogs scrounging for the all-too-rare link from the top dogs. If you wish to strike out on your own, starting a blog with a flavor all its own, your support structure and your chances of getting noticed will be greater on the right.

Before I even started getting into the "whole blogging thing," I noticed what Patrick describes. DailyKos, "Rex Blogum" (King Blogger), has become a glorified message board.

Another observation: The left-wing blogs also became radicalized during the whole Dean craze of late 2003.

This radicalization also trickles into NPR, NYT, etc. I talked to a low level NPR producer recently (a closet moderate, and occasional Republican), and she told me that she walks around her office and she sees Kos and Talking Points Memo and several other left wing blogs I had never heard of (she was shocked I had never heard of them, being that I am a blogger -- but, frankly, I just don't have the time) on all the computer screens.

The radicalization also bounces back to the elected officials on the left. Case in point: Dick Durbin's recent outrageous comments, almost no different from anything you see on the left-wing blogs.

TRAFFIC VERSUS RESULTS-

What does the left-wing blogosphere have to show for itself for all of its wonderful traffic and community appeal? Almost nothing. No, really, what can they say they have accomplished? Dean as DNC chairman? Yay for them.

The conservative blogosphere, meanwhile, can take credit for a lot of victories of varying degrees of significance. Rathergate and Eason Jordan, just to name a couple.

I also concur with Patrick on the importance of blogs on the GOP side in 2008. The blogs will be hugely influential. Getting the endorsement of the bloggers at Powerline or Captain's Quarters will be huge-- and far more important than any newspaper endorsement.

But getting the endorsement and support of the vast number of medium-sized right-leaning blogs will allow for a true grassroots surge for a relatively unknown candidate. The left doesn't have that same kind of medium-sized blog network. They are mostly monopolized by the few at the top.

As far as Patrick's contention that conservatives should be on the look-out for a new moderation emanating from the left-leaning blogs, I tend to disagree. The blogs are intractably far-left. Moderation will have to come in the form of a Sister Souljah moment, where Hillary or whomever stands up and strongly rebukes the gurgling fever swamps that the left-wing blogs have become. If anything, Hillary Clinton disavowing Kos, et al., once the nomination is wrapped up, could be an artificial-but-important moment of contrast. The wonderfully refreshing moderate denouncing the angry leftist bloggers.

It'll be too easy.

Posted by Will Franklin · 17 June 2005 10:12 PM

Comments

Will- Another great post! Not only will it be important for the conservative blogs to get in the game in '08, but it is "crucially important" that the conservative blogs get in the game RIGHT NOW! The MSM is going bonkers attacking the Republicans and Bush at this moment and the right needs to continue to get the word out that there is a place to go to get the whole story and that is the blogosphere! The left is going all out. Will the right respond?

Posted by: Jim Hoft at June 17, 2005 10:59 PM

Dick Durbin should resign in disgrace!... Why do we tolerate these anti Americanists? Democrat or Republican and everything in between! We are Americans... We should celebrate the fact that freedom and democracy are spreading through out the world! Instead we have these kind of individuals who are supposed leaders of the freedom that we hold so dear saying things like Dick Durbin did!... What a dud!...

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at June 18, 2005 09:36 AM

I think the radicalization of the liberal bogs (but that imparts a change from moderate) highlights just how screwed the Dems are. Kerry faced the same problem. There is no base (in reality anyways). The Dems must get %100 of the "black vote", %100 of the "union vote", and %100 of the "nut-job vote". The radical "nut-job" contingency is congealing the power of the Dem party and being heard. However, they will run off the more moderate, rational factions of the party…again.

Imagine if you will a 40 something Church going African-American discussing tax policy with green haired punk who thinks America deserved 9/11. I don’t see it.

Here’s hoping to God they put up Hillary.

Posted by: lowery21 at June 18, 2005 11:50 AM

lowery21,... I don't understand how anyone!, could ever believe it would be a good thing to crash into buildings and kill thousands? I just don't get it!... And then how do these people like Dick Durbin justify saying our troops our no better than Nazi's? I want him to resign!... He is a terrible excuse for a human being!

Posted by: Zsa Zsa at June 18, 2005 07:28 PM

The biggest difference between left and right blogs, I agree, isn't in the big guns... but in what is found to be acceptable by your peers in the smaller blogs. The same argument is being made by both sides: "Ours is the more successful way". But if I start a RIGHT wing blog I can get traffic sent to me by - and encouragement from - the legion of small Right wing bloggers, even if they disagree with some of my ideas. If I start up a LEFT wing blog, and if I stray from any part of the KOS party line, I'll be accused by a legion of Left wing bloggers of being a stooge for the Rovian Right Wing Message Machine!

Active political persuasion does not occur on the edges of the spectrum, it happens in the undecided and less passionate middle. I wonder how much those folks enjoy being called 'fools' and worse almost without exception by the lefty blogs? Do they enjoy it enough that they'll now decide to vote Democrat?

Posted by: Mr. Michael at June 19, 2005 03:30 AM