For many of us, political blogs are a lifeline for breaking news, spirited commentary, and historical context.
dKos, Atrios, theoria's forthcoming WYFP: Freepers Gone Wild! (nudge, nudge), and dozens of other blogs offer instantaneous and multi-layered perspectives on the day's events that are all but absent from 24-hour cable news and mainstream media sources.
I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, right? Keep reading...
I am troubled by what appears to be an ever widening politico-sociological gap between the blog-fueled
neo-intelligentsia and the typical American electorate that relies on the corporate-driven, agenda-laden "free" press. For the sake of this argument let's focus on registered voters. I'm working up another rant on informing and motivating non-voters in a future diary.
Case in point:
My hometime newspaper runs a daily feature asking readers to sound off about an important news item. Keep in mind, I live in the People's Republic of Cleveland -- the most solidly Democratic region of Ohio.
Following are a few responses to today's question:
"What's your opinion on Condoleezza Rice and her testimony about 9/11?"
- "Condoleezza Rice's testimony was impeccable and intelligent. It only shows that no one could have stopped those attacks. The ones that are to blame are Osama bin Laden and the terrorists, period." Cleveland
- "I believe Condoleezza Rice and George Bush were so obsessed with plans to invade Iraq that they didn't have time to be bothered with anything else." Lakewood
- "The point is Bush did what he came to do, have a war, avenge his father, and support the Republican Party, so 9/11 is history. let's focus on what's going on now." Bedford
- "Her testimony was forthright, strong, and believable. Unlike Richard Clarke who was only trying to sell books." Mentor
- "I figure it was a three-hour lecture on what's wrong with our government and Washington, DC." Lakewood
- "Condoleezza Rice answered all questions truthfully, completely and to the best of her ability. Some committee members did not want to hear the plain, simple truth. They came for a crucifixion, not a fact-finding mission." East Cleveland
- "I admire her for the way she handled the difficult situation and the pressures she was under. I don't think too many people could have done a better job." North Ridgeville
I'm not interested in a hand-wringing exercise but simply:
What can we do to move the wealth of information that is willingly and freely shared here directly to the voters?
As a member of the neo-intelligentsia, do you feel you have a societal responsibility to advance progressive patriotic values ala the liberal, literate classes of pre-WWII Europe which eventually conceived the Nazi resistance movement?
What actionable steps would you take to move last night's great Juan Cole-inspired thread out to your physical sphere of influence among family, friends, and colleagues?
How do we break down the informational caste system that appears to be developing among wired and non-wired voters?
If the newspaper comments are any indication (and yes, I realize only the most motivated on the left and the right respond to these forums), I fear the echo chamber that we are inadvertently creating amoing the blogs is creating a false sense of confidence about our prospects in November.
What say you?