Open Thread: Are Virginia Democratic Bloggers Hurting Jim Webb’s Campaign? Sunday, June 4, 2006
Posted by Conaway B. Haskins III in Uncategorized.trackback
Over at SLANTblog, F.T. Rea, one of the blogosphere's senior statemen, continues a train of thought that he started last week about the supposed negative effect that the more rapidly pro-Webb bloggers are having on the image of the Webb campaign. On Saturday, he featured comments by Richmond talk show host and on-again-off-again Doug Wilder consigliere Paul Goldman that specifically identified Raising Kaine as a prime example of this phenomenon. The response by the pro-Webb Democratic bloggers and their supporters ran the gamut from absolute teardowns of Harris Miller to those who denied that bloggers and blogging even has an impact on real political outcomes. Some who agreed with Rea noted that the relationship between the bloggers and the Webb campaign apparatus is fuzzy. It was all a bit confusing and cacophonous.
Considering the hard work that many leading Democratic bloggers did to encourage and give grassroots support to a Webb run, it is difficult to argue that they have, on balance, hurt the Webb campaign. But, the stridency of their attacks on Miller - a subject that I've touched on before – may have a negative effect for the Democratic Party and the future of those bloggers within it. No matter the outcome, this race has revealed fissures within the Democratic apparatus that can no longer be sugar-coated.
The incessant "I'm a bigger Democrat than you," whip-it-out contest has yet to solve the riddle of just what it actually means to be a Democrat in Virginia these days. Where does the party stand on the major issues of the day? Does it have a unified voice, or is it merely a repository for diverse and divergent interests and viewpoints that somehow manage to coalesce around their common disdain for all things Republican? For the student of political history, both Miller and Webb can legitimately lay claim to the Democratic mantle, and neither is pure.
This running debate over the role of the blogosphere - typified by Rea's arguments – is merely an extension of debates about the role of citizen voices in the larger fabric of American (and Virginian, because we got here first) democracy. Attending Sorensen this weekend, I had the pleasure of listening to legendary historian Gordon Wood wax poetically about the role of the civic culture in the framing of the Constitution. He also gently reminded us that the media and political classes of those revolutionary times were much harsher, much more libelious, and downright nastier than what we have today. In this sense, on their best days, political bloggers are keeping in the grand traditions of Thomas Paine and the pamphleteers. On their worse days, bloggers are merely gossipy, petty and whiny pests who represent no true danger to the stability of the Commonwealth or the health of political discourse.
At any rate, this entire Webb-Miller showdown thankfully has just over a week to go. Until that time, we should expect more of the same. Or shouldn't we?
Thanks for amplifying the debate on what I see as a worthwhile topic that isn’t going away soon.
By the way, in the early issues of SLANT (20 years ago) I mentioned more than once that the pamphleteers of the run-up to the American revolution were a huge inspiration to me. Another such inspiration was I.F. Stone’s Weekly, too.
And, speaking of patriots and hard-edged opinions, thanks for the “senior statesman” characterization, especially after my lack of forgiveness for a particular Patriot a few months ago.
– Terry
Yeah, its now a fad. Every Va blogger wants to know how the “blogs are hurting Webb”. Its so yesterday. ugh.
C’mon this is a Miller troll. The caper they’re pulling is this (there are variations on it) …
I was out at event at the Webb People were meanies and then I went on the internet and people were meanies to Harris Miller. I was leaning to Webb but now I’m going with Miller. Miller’s wife is nice and sweet. The negativity of Harris’ oppenents just turns me off.
The “My old brand just doesn’t do it for me, now I’ve switched brands” spiel is as old as Madison Avenue.
It of course has been well edited to sound just right and evoke just the right amount of sympathy. They’re almost pulling it off but the usually leave a couple tracks giving up the ghost : typically it’s a “my nieghbors were shocked” or by hiding behind Mr. Miller’s family. These are old tricks and the frustraded English majors at Miller’s Headquarters are playing games.
No offense to Harris’ wife and kids, I’m sure they’re great folks!
I would leave a comment, but I might err and make an objective observation about Miller which would automatically qualify me as a “shill” since, to comment in the blogosphere, only allegience to Mr. Webb appears to be appropriate.
Joy! Watching everyone argue about who should lose in November!