I've listed a lot of the blogs in the local area that have written about the 29th race recently on the right. Seeing that list, and adding big national sites like Kos and myDD to it, you've got to wonder if there's anything left that's worth saying about this race.
Obviously, I think there is (either that, or I've just another kook
on the Internet.) I've started this blog because I want to contribute a perspective that's missing from the work of area bloggers.
I'm sure I missed a number of blogs making the list. If I missed you -- right, left or center -- drop me a note. With the exception of Michael Caputo's column, all of those blogs are leftist or progressive. What's missing is a blog that doesn't have a "netroots" bias. This bias causes those bloggers to overestimate their impact on the race, to fail to critically examine the candidate's positions, and to be in danger of turning into boring echo chambers.
The Kos and myDD folks, and their progressive acolytes, seem to think that they are part of some kind of people-powered revolution that will change politics as we know it. Well, I guess I'm just anblogasmic. Blogs are a great communication vehicle, but they represent and influence only a small (yet vocal) segment of voters. The 29th is older than average, and older voters are less likely to read blogs. The district is more conservative than average, so a lot of the netroots rhetoric and positions don't resonate with voters. I plan to post more on how all media will influence this campaign as this blog goes forward.
Eric Massa is a political junkies' wet dream of a candidate, but the netroots blinders don't allow those bloggers to understand or acknowledge some of the reasons why. Massa's positions on the issues and campaign approach does not fit into the paradigm that Kos and MoveOn believe it does. I think his campaign strategy is actually more robust (and more centrist) than the netroots crew might want to acknowledge. I'll have an in-depth post on how his campaign resembles other past successful minority challenges in the near future.
Similarly, the netroots perspective misses a lot of what's interesting about John R. "Randy" Kuhl. Randy's clearly a weak candidate and a party hack. Nevertheless, Randy is fascinating because he lacks the imagination to do much but run every play in the Republican playbook. Some of those plays work. Why they work is important and little-acknowledged by the blogging left. More on this, too, anon.
As an ardent political spectator rather than inflamed MoveOn partisan, I don't feel the need to constantly whip up my fervor for one of the candidates. Obviously, I like Massa and dislike Kuhl, but both are politicans and therefore should be subject to intense skepticism. Both are likely to ignore or dismiss inconvenient facts, to make tactical alliances with disreputable groups, and to stretch the truth under pressure. And, man, am I looking forward to watching it happen.