Archive: Year: 2006

Is there such a thing as an "elite blogger"? That's the question I'm mulling as I read through the storm of posts in the political blogs--right, left and center--that are discussing whether Markos Moulitsas and Jerome Armstrong have some kind of payola operation going (a charge I think no one should throw around lightly, and which I see no proof for). Does the read-write web inherently defeat, or at least deflate, elitism? That certainly is one hope of mine, along with many others that go with being a devotee of the Cluetrain Manifesto. But humans love to make lists and rank each other, and come up with things like "A-lists" and velvet ropes and "elite bloggers." And, especially after the YearlyKos...

About the dumbest political technology move I've seen in weeks: the decision by the Republican governor of Kentucky to block access by state employees to the blog of a leading critic of his, the Bluegrass Report. The net views censorship as a bug and routes around it, dummy! Other blogs picked up the story--and in turn they've been blocked! Hello, Governor Fletcher? If this sort of thing doesn't work in China, what makes you think it will work here?...

While most businesses and non-profits hungrily try to build their email lists, there's one group of people who paradoxically seem to want fewer chances to engage their customers, not more. That is, Members of Congress. You'd think most offices would view the in-rush into their in-boxes as the opportunity to collect hundreds of thousands of valid addresses of voters they could in turn contact and develop a connection with. But no, they'd rather make it even harder for you to e-mail them. Details here. The good news is that some members aren't signing up for the new program. Perhaps we could build a white-list of same and give them some recognition for being more open?...

According to this story from the Associated Baptist Press, the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention--one of America's most conservative religious groups--is an outsider who owes his election in part to the influence of young Southern Baptist bloggers who have been pushing for more greater transparency and accountability in the church and attacking some extravagant spending scandals. Frank Page of South Carolina beat two higher-profile leaders that had the endorsement of the SBC's power structure. Here's an excerpt of the story: Page's supporters said their candidate benefited from the participation of many messengers previously uninvolved in convention life. "This election is about the people being heard," said Wade Burleson, an Oklahoma pastor instrumental in Page's election. "Every Baptist counts." Burleson said...

Congratulations are in order to Gina Cooper and her team of volunteers, as well as Markos Moulitsas and his various lieutenants, for putting together what will undoubtedly be remembered as the first major netroots political convention--but not the last. There is something happening here, though what it is still isn't exactly clear. Here are my notes and observations: 1. YearlyKos was definitely different from every other political gathering I've been to; though it was not nearly as much about lateral conversation and networking as I would have liked. I was impressed that Markos didn't insist on controlling every panel; can you imagine the leader of a major labor union or environmental group allowing his activist-members to organize an official conference without...

So I went to Governor Mark Warner's blowout bash at the Stratosphere last night in Las Vegas, and amid the piles of free sushi, "Blogoritas" and "Kos-mopolitians," I tried to discern what makes him the "Internet candidate." Yes, I know he was a success in the cell phone business, and then ran a technology venture capital fund. Yes, as Virginia's governor he was supportive of the state's high-tech industry. And, yes, he's supportive of net neutrality. But all I saw at the Stratosphere was an old-fashioned politician spending something like $70,000 on a garish party to soften up a constituency. (Apparently, his PAC needs to spend the money before the end of the cycle, one of his staffers told me, which...

The vibe at YearlyKos, the first-ever face-to-face convening of about 1000-1500 members and fans of the country#039s most popular political website, is very much like a summer-camp re-union among people who have never met each other before. But the event also embodies a tectonic shift in the way power works in America, in that Markos Moulitsas#039s website, which attracts close to a million readers a day, has spawned a popular movement strong enough to attract the attendance of the top leadership of the Democratic party (Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean) along with several of its 2008 contenders (Mark Warner and Wesley Clark), and with that has come the creme-de-la-creme of the nation#039s political press. Yesterday, at the MyDD caucus, I...

I try to not use this blog to talk about partisan politics, and I encourage the other PDF contributing editors to do the same. So, while the "Unity '08" announcement by a group of bipartisan political consultants and ex-politicians (including one member of PDF's advisory board, Nicco Mele) that they are going to use the internet to foster the development of a 20 million member voting bloc behind unity ticket in 2008 cries out for commentary, it inevitably also invites one to inject all sorts of political judgments about the purpose and value of third-party political campaigns in presidential elections. So, since I have a personal blog for my own more political and personal musings...

I'm at the NetSquared conference in Santa Clara, CA today and tomorrow and will do my best to blog the high points. The theme so far: More voices are joining the public conversation, disrupting and potentially transforming the established order. And it's early to master this new reality, whether you're a politician or an advocacy group or an independent activist. Some of the stand-out moments so far: -Angela Glover Blackwell, founder of PolicyLink, making an eloquent opening call to make sure we use all this new tech to build a fully inclusive society...

The folks at the Bivings Group have done a nice survey report looking at the use of the internet in 2006 Senate campaigns, covering a total of 77 campaign committees (30 incumbents and 47 challengers). The big picture will not surprise you: while almost 100% have live websites, most use them mainly as online billboards to broadcast their candidate's message (with news, bio and contact info) and to pull in money and volunteers. Few are using the web to interact with their supporters in a more meaningful way (only 23% have a blog, and even fewer--4%--are offering team building tools or using their sites to help supporters create their own house parties or fundraising campaigns). Among the most interesting findings: -Democrats are far...