There’s A Warning There

Well, the big convention in Las Vegas has ended, Adam Nagourney reports. Some of the participants from the Democratic establishment are recognizing the potential that blogs have. But whether the Koz Kidz realize it or not, there was also a very, very clear warning about a couple of things.

Mark R. Warner, the former governor of Virginia and potential Democratic presidential candidate, went before an unconventional political audience on Saturday — a bloggers' convention — and offered a fairly conventional presentation: the introductory campaign video, a few jokes, and 30 minutes of biography, criticism of the Bush administration and views of government.

Howard Dean, the Democratic National Committee chairman, took a different approach, celebrating the bloggers as the future of American politics. "We have a whole new department at the D.N.C. — the Internet department," he said. "What they do is read you all day long so they know what's going on."

Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, a Democrat who also may run for president, praised blogs as an emerging power in American politics after appearing at a panel here, but assailed a major liberal blog, Daily Kos, for "banging away" with personal attacks on political leaders.

"I'm not the enemy — I'm a pretty decent guy, if I say so myself," Mr. Vilsack told reporters.

If there is an emerging consensus among much of the Democratic Party establishment, it is that blogs are an important, potentially crucial emerging power in American politics, as reflected by the turnout of Democratic leaders here this weekend. What is less clear is how mainstream politicians like Mr. Warner — or the Senate minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, who gave an address Saturday night — will grapple with an audience that has defined itself in part by its dissatisfaction with mainstream politicians.

The warning from Vilsack is likely the most important of the two. The mainstream in America will tolerate a lot of passionate beliefs and a certain amount of vitriol, but only so much. If a line gets crossed, credibility suffers and your message gets weakened, not strengthened. The other warning is a little more circumspect but still vital. If you cast yourself as the angry outsider, you risk that becoming a self-fulfilling - and permanent - prophecy.

Something to think about. For the right as well as the left.

UPDATE: This is a hoot. The Washington Post report has this in it:

Tom Mattzie, Washington director of MoveOn.org, called the struggle inside the Democratic Party a "clash of civilizations" between an old order and a new order, but he also discounted those who view it purely in ideological terms. His group, he said, had polled the net-roots activist community. "What they want is not an ideological litmus test," he said. "They want Democrats to stand up and fight. They don't want Neville Chamberlain Democrats; they want Muhammad Ali Democrats."

That, said many of those in attendance, explains the contempt with which net-roots activists hold Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), whom they see as having gone out of his way to support Bush and to criticize Democrats on the Iraq war and other issues. A popular button here showed Bush and Lieberman in near-embrace with the words "The Kiss," and Lieberman's primary challenger, Ned Lamont, has become a darling of the net-roots activists.

But Dave Dayen, a comedian and activist, said the net-roots activists are genuinely pragmatic in evaluating candidates, particularly those in heavily Republican states. He noted that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is as conservative as Lieberman but has not been targeted by bloggers. "We understand regional realities," he said.

Stirling Newberry, an active blogger on economic issues, said the list of attendees at the conference validates the significance of the net-based movement. "The media are here, the candidates are here," he said. "That says the power is here."

Joe Trippi, who helped tap the power of the Internet for Dean as his campaign manager, said he was surprised more prospective Democratic presidential candidates were not here. "Skipping this is like skipping the Iowa J-J [Jefferson-Jackson Day] dinner," he said.

Yep - that explains the netroots antipathy for Joe Lieberman. It's not ideological.

Sure.

• 

  By Black Jack, Sunday, 11 June , 2006 @ 1:14 pm

  Nothing too much:

  Leaders need to be out in front, but it doesn’t seem to matter much if you come from the right or the left, or if your position is correct or not. Once anyone gets too far out in front, followers can’s see them, they’ve cut themselves off from support, become isolated, are exposed to attack, and are thus substantially weakened.

  Roman politicians explained how to rid the Senate of firebrands: First we elevate, then eliminate.

• 

  By Blackhawk, Sunday, 11 June , 2006 @ 10:58 pm

  Gov V is my home state, and he’s fairly popular. He followed years of a Republican Gov, who was also popular. Gov V is fairly level headed as far as Dems go. I like him. And he is dead on target regarding Koz Kidz.

  The danger for the Dems is they choose shallow, populist routes to regain votes, instead of challenging their opponents on a case by case basis. I think, that for most Americans, there is really little difference between Reps and Dems…what matters are actions once elected, and actions during a campaign.

  Just look at Montata…they’ve been electing a Dem Gov for years…because the Rep candidate is…um…a little right of Hitler. Even the hard core Reps from Montana that I know (about 5) always vote for this Dem…it’s about actions, stupid, not platforms. That guy, like Gov V, delivers.

  I just don’t think middle America is going to vote for a guy who reminds them of pickles for president.

Other Links to this Post

1. Blue Crab Boulevard » Blog Archive » Winning Everywhere Except The One Place It Matters — Monday, 12 June , 2006 @ 9:59 am