Once again, I wondered whether the Right does go after its moderates in a similar fashion, so I looked up the Right’s harshest critic of the Right’s least-loved moderate—Hugh Hewitt on Lincoln Chafee.

Hewitt has called Chafee an “alleged GOP Senator,” “shortsighted,” and knocked him repeatedly for not voting for Bush, and for various obstructions in the Senate, but it hasn’t gotten much nastier than that. I imagine Lieberman would smile to get such courteous treatment on a big liberal blog these days.

I don’t suggest that there isn’t nastiness on both sides of the blogosphere. There is. Nor do I suggest that each side of the blogosphere must take responsibility for every wacky commenter on its side (although avoiding abetting them with DOS attacks would help immensely).

What I do say is there is a difference in tone and approach to moderates, and moderates are noticing it.

The political blogosphere is growing in reach and power. Readers are turning to them on both ends of the political spectrum because they trust the folks who write them. Blogs will continue to inform and affect the behavior of voters, but how will each side use that knowledge?

In 2004, the Bush campaign, according to most political observers, overtook the Dem ground game by delegating the spreading of the President’s message, not to impersonal canvassers, but to neighbors and friends and family.

Many voters were more likely to listen to arguments for the President from a mom from three houses down—someone they liked and trusted—than a shipped-in volunteer and stranger.

If politically hybrid bloggers can be seen as the swing voters of the blogosphere—if a Jeff Goldstein is a guy who could conceivably be convinced to vote the other way if the Dems would assuage his doubts on certain issues—who do you think is more convincing showing up on his virtual doorstep?

Deborah Frisch, the liberal who threatens his child, or Right-Wing Sparkle, the conservative who has read his site for years and comes to his defense upon Frisch’s attack?

When you’re knocking on doors at election time, burning dog poo has never been known to get out the vote.