John Kerry And The Moonbat Fringe
We're often defending bloggers, in general, against the MSM. Today, I'm taking a bit of a twist with that. See, John Kerry fancieshimself to be a blogger. Uncle Teddy has joinedhim in the ranks of the KosKiddies. Yes, two of the most laughable Democrats on the Hill--a veritable Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy--wandering around in traffic.
But, the WaPo has picked up on the strategy.
Democrats are getting an early glimpse of an intraparty rift that could complicate efforts to win back the White House: fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites and in interest groups vs. elected officials trying to appeal to a much broader audience.
These activists -- spearheaded by battle-ready bloggers and making their influence felt through relentless e-mail campaigns -- have denounced what they regard as a flaccid Democratic response to the Supreme Court fight, President Bush's upcoming State of the Union address and the Iraq war. In every case, they have portrayed party leaders as gutless sellouts.
First, liberal Web logs went after Democrats for selecting Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to deliver the response to Bush's speech next Tuesday. Kaine's political sins: He was too willing to drape his candidacy in references to religion and too unwilling to speak out aggressively against Bush on the Iraq war. Kaine has been lauded by party officials for finding a victory formula in Bush country by running on faith, values and fiscal discipline.
Many Web commentators wanted Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), a leading critic of the Iraq war who advocates a speedy withdrawal, to be the opposition voice on the State of the Union night. Most Democratic lawmakers have distanced themselves from the Murtha position. "What the hell are they thinking?" was the title of liberal blogger Arianna Huffington's column blasting the Kaine selection.
"Blogs can take up a lot of time if you're on them," Kaine said to reporters Thursday. "You can get a lot done if you're not bitterly partisan."
The Virginia Democrat said he will not adjust his speech to placate the party's base. "I'm not anybody's mouthpiece or shill or poster boy for that matter. I'm going to say what I think needs to be said and they seem very comfortable with that."
Liberal activists seemed to have slightly more influence with their campaign to persuade Senate Democrats to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel A. Alito Jr. Despite several polls showing that the public opposes the effort, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) on Thursday strongly advocated the filibuster plan -- and wrote about his choice on the Daily Kos, a Web site popular with liberals. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), a leading liberal and critic of the Iraq war, told reporters Kerry's viewpoint is not shared by most in a culturally conservative swing state such as West Virginia. Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) also opposes the filibuster.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is another frequent target of the Internet attacks. Code Pink, an antiwar women's group with a flashy Web site, plans to protest one of Clinton's weekend fundraisers and is using the Web site to rally people against the New York Democrat. The critics say Clinton has not challenged Bush aggressively enough on Iraq.
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."
The blogs-vs.-establishment fight represents the latest version of a familiar Democratic dispute. It boils down to how much national candidates should compromise on what are considered core Democratic values -- such as abortion rights, gun control and opposition to conservative judges -- to win national elections.
Many Democrats say the only way to win nationally is for the party to become stronger on the economy and promote a centrist image on cultural values, as Kaine did in Virginia and as Bill Clinton did in two successful presidential campaigns.
The new twist in this debate is the Web, which in recent election cycles emerged as a powerful political force, one expected to figure even more prominently as more people get high-speed connections and turn to the Internet for news and commentary. Unlike the past, the "pressure is conveyed through a faster, better organized, more insistent medium," said Jim Jordan, a Democratic strategist.
In the 2004 campaign, liberals used the Web to organize meetings and raise money to power the unexpected rise of former Vermont governor Howard Dean in the Democratic primaries. Dean, a newcomer to national politics who connected with liberals with his antiwar position and declaration to supporters that "you have the power" to change Washington, shattered fundraising records and for months was considered the front-runner in the race for the nomination.
But the Democratic establishment turned on Dean, and his grass-roots operation was not as strong in reality as it appeared on the Internet. Since then, liberal activists have created scores of political blogs and used the Web as an organizing tool and a way to quickly vent frustrations to Democratic leaders in Washington.
The closest historic parallel would be the talk-radio phenomenon of the early 1980s, when conservatives -- like liberals now -- felt powerless and certain they did not have a way to voice their views because the mainstream media and many of their own leaders considered them out of touch. Through talk radio, often aired in rural parts of the country on the AM dial, conservatives pushed the party to the right on social issues and tax cuts.
The question Democrats will debate over the next few years is whether the prevailing views of liberal activists on the war, the role of religion in politics and budget policies will help or hinder efforts to recapture the presidency and Congress.
Even if they disagree with their positions, Democratic candidates recognize from the Dean experience the power of the activists to raise money and infuse a campaign with their energy. On the flip side, the Alito and Kaine episodes serve as a cautionary tales of what can happen to politicians when they spurn the blogs.
"John Kerry is beginning to bring the traditional Democratic leadership in Washington together with the untraditional netroots activists of the country," James Boyce wrote on the Huffington Post. "A man often accused of being the ultimate Washington insider looked outside of the beltway and saw the concern, in fact, the distress among literally millions of online Democrats."
Other Democrats, Boyce wrote, "triangulated, fabricated, postulated and capitulated."
I will grant that there are a few Democrats that aren't completely batty. But the big names--the Kos', the Atrios', and so forth--are beyond the fringe. They are so far out of the mainstream thinking of the country, as a whole, that they've been relegated to second-tier status. Yes, DailyKos has incredible hits each day. However, it is the leading port-side blog on the blogosphere. In comparison, Daily Kos must compete against the top tier of the blogosphere among many blogger.
Glenn Reynolds
The "Jack Bauer of the blogosphere."
The Esteemed Captain.
This Lady has all the right connections.
A Trio Of Lawyers That Scare Ramsey Clark.
And, the Proud Lizardoid Leader.
And they're just the vanguard. The medium and little fish all serve their purposes. We bring up the rear, and continue the debate forward. And we make up several million sets of extra eyes and ears to do the digging with. Conservative blogs, I believe, outnumber the liberal ones. We could carry a candidate, and endure the shots taken by the Left, unlike Howling Mad Howie's followers that were crushed by the status quo within the party. Remember, we have a status-quo guy running for the House Leadership position, and the blogs are wounding Roy Blunt pretty badly. He's not "bleeding" as bad as Joel Stein did during the interview with Hugh Hewitt, but the blogs are doing their best.
Message to Roy Blunt: Don't threaten the citizen journalist because they get even.
The sad fact of the matter is this: John Kerry's strategy to get back into the limelight, and the presidential race for 2008 (though no one knows why because the Dems don't take chances on a loser twice, nowadays). He knows that he needs to appeal to groups that he can "identify" with, and, of course, to steal away some of the clout owned by people like Howling Mad Howie and Hillary. He needs to connect, so he is reaching out and embracing the extremist side of the Democrat Party.
That is exactly the image that the party's been trying to avoid, though it's difficult with your chairman being the guy who reached out to them to begin with. Howling Mad Howie's minions are what Kerry strives for, and the willing supporters of Hillary. Further, as Capt. Ed pointed out:
It will help fuel the split on the Left that started with Dean's ascension as primary front-runner in 2003. Instead of refocusing efforts to appear reasonable to the American voters, the party will have its radical wing on full flight in 2006, drawing attention to its passionate insistence on obstructionism, impeachment, surrender in Iraq and Southwest Asia, and the further growth of socialism in the US. All of this will prove exceeding popular -- with 20% of the American electorate. Unfortunately, as the Dean Scream and the Kerry presidential campaign showed, it doesn't translate into electoral victory. It doesn't even translate into good fundraising, as the DNC has discovered during Dean's chairmanship of the party.
This is the point I'm making. They can reach out to the extremists, but it doesn't translate to a win. As a matter of fact, it'll translate into a serious loss; the base of the Democrat party doesn't go for those things. So, if John Kerry wants to reach out to them, and Ted Kennedy wants to cavort with them, so be it. If this leads to a serious interneccine civil war within the party, then all the better. The blogs on the starboard side of the blogosphere are already active, working furiously on the elections coming up, and lead with a voice very much like it's base.
Publius II
We're often defending bloggers, in general, against the MSM. Today, I'm taking a bit of a twist with that. See, John Kerry fancieshimself to be a blogger. Uncle Teddy has joinedhim in the ranks of the KosKiddies. Yes, two of the most laughable Democrats on the Hill--a veritable Stan Laurel and Ollie Hardy--wandering around in traffic.
But, the WaPo has picked up on the strategy.
Democrats are getting an early glimpse of an intraparty rift that could complicate efforts to win back the White House: fiery liberals raising their voices on Web sites and in interest groups vs. elected officials trying to appeal to a much broader audience.
These activists -- spearheaded by battle-ready bloggers and making their influence felt through relentless e-mail campaigns -- have denounced what they regard as a flaccid Democratic response to the Supreme Court fight, President Bush's upcoming State of the Union address and the Iraq war. In every case, they have portrayed party leaders as gutless sellouts.
First, liberal Web logs went after Democrats for selecting Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine to deliver the response to Bush's speech next Tuesday. Kaine's political sins: He was too willing to drape his candidacy in references to religion and too unwilling to speak out aggressively against Bush on the Iraq war. Kaine has been lauded by party officials for finding a victory formula in Bush country by running on faith, values and fiscal discipline.
Many Web commentators wanted Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), a leading critic of the Iraq war who advocates a speedy withdrawal, to be the opposition voice on the State of the Union night. Most Democratic lawmakers have distanced themselves from the Murtha position. "What the hell are they thinking?" was the title of liberal blogger Arianna Huffington's column blasting the Kaine selection.
"Blogs can take up a lot of time if you're on them," Kaine said to reporters Thursday. "You can get a lot done if you're not bitterly partisan."
The Virginia Democrat said he will not adjust his speech to placate the party's base. "I'm not anybody's mouthpiece or shill or poster boy for that matter. I'm going to say what I think needs to be said and they seem very comfortable with that."
Liberal activists seemed to have slightly more influence with their campaign to persuade Senate Democrats to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel A. Alito Jr. Despite several polls showing that the public opposes the effort, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) on Thursday strongly advocated the filibuster plan -- and wrote about his choice on the Daily Kos, a Web site popular with liberals. Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), a leading liberal and critic of the Iraq war, told reporters Kerry's viewpoint is not shared by most in a culturally conservative swing state such as West Virginia. Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) also opposes the filibuster.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) is another frequent target of the Internet attacks. Code Pink, an antiwar women's group with a flashy Web site, plans to protest one of Clinton's weekend fundraisers and is using the Web site to rally people against the New York Democrat. The critics say Clinton has not challenged Bush aggressively enough on Iraq.
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."
The blogs-vs.-establishment fight represents the latest version of a familiar Democratic dispute. It boils down to how much national candidates should compromise on what are considered core Democratic values -- such as abortion rights, gun control and opposition to conservative judges -- to win national elections.
Many Democrats say the only way to win nationally is for the party to become stronger on the economy and promote a centrist image on cultural values, as Kaine did in Virginia and as Bill Clinton did in two successful presidential campaigns.
The new twist in this debate is the Web, which in recent election cycles emerged as a powerful political force, one expected to figure even more prominently as more people get high-speed connections and turn to the Internet for news and commentary. Unlike the past, the "pressure is conveyed through a faster, better organized, more insistent medium," said Jim Jordan, a Democratic strategist.
In the 2004 campaign, liberals used the Web to organize meetings and raise money to power the unexpected rise of former Vermont governor Howard Dean in the Democratic primaries. Dean, a newcomer to national politics who connected with liberals with his antiwar position and declaration to supporters that "you have the power" to change Washington, shattered fundraising records and for months was considered the front-runner in the race for the nomination.
But the Democratic establishment turned on Dean, and his grass-roots operation was not as strong in reality as it appeared on the Internet. Since then, liberal activists have created scores of political blogs and used the Web as an organizing tool and a way to quickly vent frustrations to Democratic leaders in Washington.
The closest historic parallel would be the talk-radio phenomenon of the early 1980s, when conservatives -- like liberals now -- felt powerless and certain they did not have a way to voice their views because the mainstream media and many of their own leaders considered them out of touch. Through talk radio, often aired in rural parts of the country on the AM dial, conservatives pushed the party to the right on social issues and tax cuts.
The question Democrats will debate over the next few years is whether the prevailing views of liberal activists on the war, the role of religion in politics and budget policies will help or hinder efforts to recapture the presidency and Congress.
Even if they disagree with their positions, Democratic candidates recognize from the Dean experience the power of the activists to raise money and infuse a campaign with their energy. On the flip side, the Alito and Kaine episodes serve as a cautionary tales of what can happen to politicians when they spurn the blogs.
"John Kerry is beginning to bring the traditional Democratic leadership in Washington together with the untraditional netroots activists of the country," James Boyce wrote on the Huffington Post. "A man often accused of being the ultimate Washington insider looked outside of the beltway and saw the concern, in fact, the distress among literally millions of online Democrats."
Other Democrats, Boyce wrote, "triangulated, fabricated, postulated and capitulated."
I will grant that there are a few Democrats that aren't completely batty. But the big names--the Kos', the Atrios', and so forth--are beyond the fringe. They are so far out of the mainstream thinking of the country, as a whole, that they've been relegated to second-tier status. Yes, DailyKos has incredible hits each day. However, it is the leading port-side blog on the blogosphere. In comparison, Daily Kos must compete against the top tier of the blogosphere among many blogger.
Glenn Reynolds
The "Jack Bauer of the blogosphere."
The Esteemed Captain.
This Lady has all the right connections.
A Trio Of Lawyers That Scare Ramsey Clark.
And, the Proud Lizardoid Leader.
And they're just the vanguard. The medium and little fish all serve their purposes. We bring up the rear, and continue the debate forward. And we make up several million sets of extra eyes and ears to do the digging with. Conservative blogs, I believe, outnumber the liberal ones. We could carry a candidate, and endure the shots taken by the Left, unlike Howling Mad Howie's followers that were crushed by the status quo within the party. Remember, we have a status-quo guy running for the House Leadership position, and the blogs are wounding Roy Blunt pretty badly. He's not "bleeding" as bad as Joel Stein did during the interview with Hugh Hewitt, but the blogs are doing their best.
Message to Roy Blunt: Don't threaten the citizen journalist because they get even.
The sad fact of the matter is this: John Kerry's strategy to get back into the limelight, and the presidential race for 2008 (though no one knows why because the Dems don't take chances on a loser twice, nowadays). He knows that he needs to appeal to groups that he can "identify" with, and, of course, to steal away some of the clout owned by people like Howling Mad Howie and Hillary. He needs to connect, so he is reaching out and embracing the extremist side of the Democrat Party.
That is exactly the image that the party's been trying to avoid, though it's difficult with your chairman being the guy who reached out to them to begin with. Howling Mad Howie's minions are what Kerry strives for, and the willing supporters of Hillary. Further, as Capt. Ed pointed out:
It will help fuel the split on the Left that started with Dean's ascension as primary front-runner in 2003. Instead of refocusing efforts to appear reasonable to the American voters, the party will have its radical wing on full flight in 2006, drawing attention to its passionate insistence on obstructionism, impeachment, surrender in Iraq and Southwest Asia, and the further growth of socialism in the US. All of this will prove exceeding popular -- with 20% of the American electorate. Unfortunately, as the Dean Scream and the Kerry presidential campaign showed, it doesn't translate into electoral victory. It doesn't even translate into good fundraising, as the DNC has discovered during Dean's chairmanship of the party.
This is the point I'm making. They can reach out to the extremists, but it doesn't translate to a win. As a matter of fact, it'll translate into a serious loss; the base of the Democrat party doesn't go for those things. So, if John Kerry wants to reach out to them, and Ted Kennedy wants to cavort with them, so be it. If this leads to a serious interneccine civil war within the party, then all the better. The blogs on the starboard side of the blogosphere are already active, working furiously on the elections coming up, and lead with a voice very much like it's base.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 7:18 PM
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