BLOGS AND DEMOCRATS….Here’s a remarkable thing. Over in the Weekly Standard, Dean Barnett argues today that the Democratic party is in big trouble. Normally that wouldn’t raise any eyebrows, since you could hardly argue otherwise for a party that controls exactly zero branches of the federal government. What’s remarkable, though, is why Barnett thinks Democrats are in trouble. It’s because of blogs.
No, really. Specifically, the problem is that several Democratic senators have ? hold on to your hats here ? recently written diaries on Daily Kos. That’s it. Hard as it is to believe in a 2,000-word article, that’s all there is to his argument ? unless you count the risible assertion that Ted Kennedy has adopted Kos’ “hysterically shrill style” because he used the word “accountability” in his diary reference to Iraq.
Oh, and Dick Durbin held a conference call with several bloggers a couple of weeks ago. When will the madness end?
Now, it’s true that Kos encourages a….how to put this?….passionate approach to politics. But as Barnett himself points out, the only reason you don’t see the same thing on the right is that most conservative blogs are comment-free “virtual op-ed columns.” The only big exception, Little Green Footballs, is not exactly famous as a source of calm and thoughtful discourse.
This is pretty silly stuff. When conservative politicians stop reaching out to James Dobson and Grover Norquist, let me know. Until then, I’ll take my chances with the lefty blogosphere.
