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It's inbox-like blogging, Corner-style today at Townhall. (HH readers can read Matt's reply here.) Matt, I don't know that I was taking Bluey's side in this, or that there are even much in the way of different "sides" here. Dean has expressed a view of blogging that's pretty much pure-play opinion. I discussed the strengths and weaknesses of that model, eventually coming to the conclusion that the right-blogosphere needs to be more well-rounded than it is.
I probably would have chosen different words than "declare war." I was also against the NRSC Pledge that Dean, Hugh, and seemingly everyone else was for, because I thought we needed to give Senator Ensign space to rebuild after the Lincoln Chafee debacle. I come at this from a unique perspective -- last year, I was a paid party staffer dedicated in large part to fostering a closer relationship between the blogs and the GOP.
Months after the Pledge, it seems like the train has left the station in terms of open hostilities between the leading right-blogs and the Congressional committees (the NRCC and the NRSC). I didn't think it could get worse after 2006 (remember Chafee? Dubai? The Jefferson FBI raid? Spending?) but it has. Why is this? The Majority was supposed to have made us complacent. The rise of Pelosi should have given us common cause. The more I look at it, the more I see a different dynamic at play. Kos could only have gained prominence in the minority, when various discontented Democratic Party interests jostling for position. Kos famously screamed at the DCCC ED John Lapp at the 2004 Convention. I think the leading blog activists of the right may see a similar opening now with the Congressional party in a weakened position. Where there's friction, there's growth.
For someone with my background, it pains me to watch this happen. But it may be inevitable. The Calvert appointment looks awful to anyone not steeped in years of experience on the Hill. Just a few years ago, it would not have been an issue -- the network simply didn't exist to bring an obscure issue like this to light. Like it or not, the blogosphere is now a stakeholder in intra-party decisionmaking. If you're paid staff, that's not good or bad, so much as it is a fact on the ground that you need to account for. I think we all should explore ways that the blog movement can grow in cooperation with the party, not in opposition to it. Getting the Congressional committee chairmen to appear regularly before the Conservative Bloggers Briefing would be a good step. More posts like Congressman Cole's rapid response on RedState after an unfavorable post would also be helpful. This is a two way street. We need to accept that bloggers won't agree with every decision, and when they don't, there needs to be open dialogue. On the official side, there needs to be a recognition that if you're justifying public decisions in ways that only you or paid staff can support, that's a problem. The rank-and-file are now the Republican Steering Committee's constituents too, not just Members.
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