How Politically Important is the Blogoshere?

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For anyone interested in alternative politics, this is a good read. Once and for all the mainstream media is beginning to see that individuals have found an alternative to the mainstream, corporate run, media. This is great news for those who believe that the key to a democracy is a well-informed and vocal electorate, which can find an outlet for views that the MsM thinks doesn't sell enough cars and SUVs for them.

It really first made iteself felt with the failed Howard Dean campaign just a short year ago - and with the rise of Moveon.org. And of course the politicians are starting to take real notice that things are not "business as usual" and it's not just another day of shaking hands with fat cat contributors out at the country club any longer. Change is in the wind. Howard Fineman writes:

Interesting. But this is more interesting. The notion that there is a political "narrative" running through the blogosphere is something that has been developing a force and life of its own. And I could not agree more.

Part of that narrative is that more Dems need to get tougher GWB. And now may be a good time for them to start.

It appears that none of this is lost on Hillary Clinton.

Thomas Jefferson would have loved the internet.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9339863/site/newsweek/

 

The link you included didn't work, maybe it just didn't want to work for me...

Anyway, There has to be something happen to shake up the political process. Politicians have been spouting the same for so long that the people can't tell whether the **** came from an elephant or a donkey (if you ask me they both act like jackasses). There needs to be a way to get information other than listening to these politicians ramble on. And with the shrinking gap between the parties, the blogosphere could make the difference between who wins the election. Maybe some politicians will have some success jumping on the bandwagon (blogwagon?) here, and maybe there's a chance to cut through the and see what's really out there...

 

I get most of my news from the Internet now. Partly because I am on the Internet but mainly because I get more variety. As long as it is in English I can wander the world and find out what others think.

Once more I find myself in agreement with Gnarfflinger.

A peaceful revolt.

 

I think the blogosphere has become very influential in American politics. It's laudable that it provides a voice to the common man in a way that perhaps has never existed before, but I still view it with a bit of unease.

Anyone with a computer and internet connection can become a blogger. We've reached the point where we're saturated with sites, blogs and journals, and it's only going to get worse. Along with the remarkable freedom of expression, comes a remarkable ability to "get things wrong". For every story we hear about how some blogger blew the top off of some story, there are hundreds who are just plain wrong. This can be a tricky maze for the unsavy to navigate.

Perhaps all blogs should come with the warning "CAUTION: The enclosed content is comprised of opinion and commentary, and should not be confused with journalistic reporting"

 

I don't like the idea of making up any unnatural (artificial) social class whatsoever. I don't tend to regard bloggers as any special class of their own, save as a loose class (in the mathematical sense) of people with a specific hobby. If they have political or economic preparation, there already exist channels that can be used and the internet itself is no worse than any of them. If they don't have any specific preparation, they are like the rest of the citizen, just more active and outspoken than your average Joe.

To be honest, I am somewhat afraid of the growing process by which an otherwise anonymous and average (in no bad sense) person becomes a mahdi for his group. As I said before, I'm distrustful towards any "accelerated" process of creation of a social group.

In short: What they are doing concerns me. Must write about it on my website.

 

This is largely a political class, not social or econonmic, as it may very well run the entire spectrum of social classes. But politics seems to be the common thread here.

 

I do not think that "bloggers" are much of an entity. They may have some things in common, but their politics and points of view are as diverse as those in the general population.

Having said that, I do not believe that there is any more important development in politics that has occurred in my lifetime. Howard Dean would have been a complete non-factor if it were not for the internet. Eason Jordan, Dan Rather, Michael Brown, and Trent Lott might still be in their old jobs. In fact, there might even be an EU constitution if it were not for bloggers.

To be sure -- as Hacken Slash noted above -- the explosion of blogs has led to the dissemination of a lot of nasty opinions. But most of all it has led to the easier communication of information.

I could go on and on -- let us not forget how many times the media line has been refuted by blogs -- but I should pay more attention to fantasy football instead.