Thursday, July 21, 2005

Meow, or should I say Hissssss

Alas, once again I come out on the opposite side of the main big "Liberal" blogs. I of course was not involved in the phone call of the top 50 to work on the "plan" against John Roberts confirmation to the Supreme Court.

This article points out some very important things about the blogosphere though, that for some, it's not about individual points of view it's promoting an across the board agenda.

The lightning-quick attacks came after 50 top liberal bloggers held a 45-minute conference call Tuesday night. "On the left, we've always talked about the need to have an echo chamber," says John Aravosis, a Washington lawyer and gay rights activist who writes at Americablog.com. "We believe the right has a whole media network, from talk radio to Fox News to Matt Drudge. The left doesn't have that because the left doesn't play well with others."

The conference call was arranged by BlogPAC, a political action committee that got some of its members on the phone with Sen. Ted Kennedy on the day that Sandra Day O'Connor announced she was leaving the court. The group has also held calls with Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.), Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) and the liberal organizations involved in the nomination battle, including MoveOn, Alliance for Justice, NARAL and People for the American Way.

Kennedy "reached out to them directly to convey the impact that this decision will have on hundreds of millions of Americans, whose last line of defense for their freedoms and liberties is the Supreme Court," says Laura Capps, the senator's spokeswoman.


It's realistic to point out that some of these top 50 bloggers earn their living from advertising and donations on their blogs. Going rate for an ad on Americablog is $270.00 a week, a good bargain compared to Kos's $750.00 a week rate. I'll admit it was blogs like Kos and Americablog that made me want to have my own blog. I felt as if there were quite a few of us not being heard, that all of us are not some collective of extreme points of view. My concern is that not only do some of these bloggers who make their living from these blogs lose a certain amount of objectivity when earnings conflicts with opinion (take the whole scenario on Kos surrounding the soft porn ad for Return to Gilligan's Island bruha) but now these larger blogs are being sought out as a political action tye group rather than individual blogs. They endanger our status, which is why several of them do not even call themselves "blogs" anymore but have chosen "ezines". Regulation could be forced upon all of us because they have basically become their own PAC.

I end this with my favorite quote from the article:

But Aravosis sees no prospect of his blogging colleagues sticking to a set of talking points. "It's like herding cats," he says. "You can get 40 cats in a room, but you can't herd them."

Good point John, this cat? Don't herd.

:-)

So some of us don't play well with others, maybe it's because we don't agree with the way the game is being played.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seems like a group of bloggers talking about news..is well..anti blogging of them.

Unknown said...

lol og

If they want to join together and become their own political action group that's fine, however, they don't speak for me.

Many of them were the first ones to complain about blogs being regulated when actions like this will just make it happen sooner.

Unknown said...

I'd also add, one of my peeves is that this gives the impression that "all" liberal blogs are like them, which they are not. Those who have power usually end up abusing it.

Not only are not all of us Democrats but we don't fall into lockstep just because someone says March...or in this case...Herd....

:-)

Cyberseaer said...

Too many cooks in the kitchen. Why not just have each of them clone themselves and in large quaunties to force many parties into the government and then the taxpayers can pay for all their crying. Wait, can't do that since cloning isn't legal. Damn Republicans. They have the whole idea strangled from the beginning. Well, enjoy the cat juggling act.

Unknown said...

If I really did want to herd cats there is away, granted it involves great personal risk but..


Open a can of tuna fish? Then they will follow....

:-)

Scott G said...

I used to read the "big" blogs but learned that for the most part, they don't say anything. They don't speak for me and most likely don't even believe that I have an opinion equal in relevance to theirs.

I am happy in my "little" blog world where people still do it because they have something to say. As much as I would like to get paid to blog, I prefer to be able to say whatever I want and sometimes nothing at all.

Unknown said...

I'd love to be rich and famous me4, but on the other hand I'd be afraid that if I started relying on the blog for income that it would make me not be me.

Not that I'll ever have to worry about become that famous - lol

Unless my book becomes a top seller...

I used to read them all too, and I have a diary at Kos and Booman that I've never used. I decided this little spot right here was better for me. I still read Booman and once in awhile Kos, but like you I prefer to read blogs like ours.

:-)

Scott G said...

Before we line up our troops, we should make sure there is anything in the castle worth storming. Not much of a victory if you storm in and there are just a few Republican interns playing cards

Unknown said...

Exactly me4, I realize there are special interest groups that would be against anyone that Bush nominated but that doesn't mean that the "big boys" should lose sight of what made them blog in the first place.

Maybe the next time they decide to do a phone conference they should ask you, or brew or me to be the voice of logic.


:-)

Unknown said...

I take that back, not me, because I'm not a democrat and I'd start meowing around John just to irritate him.

:-)

Scott G said...

I am also not a Democrat. I am non-affiliated because the Dems have let me down by not fighting for anything. I almost registered Dem when I moved to Minnesota because of Paul Wellstone, but then he died and I didn't find someone else who inspired me