Bloggers and the Conservative Movement
Mar 04, 2007 09:57 PM EST
The top three in the CPAC straw poll: Romney, Giuliani, Gingrich. On the important "combo" question it was Giuliani, Romney, Gingrich.
Here's the Pajamas Media straw poll for the last week: Giuliani, Gingrich, Romney. And the latest GOP Bloggers poll: the same.
Each of these polls has the same top three.
I don't know if this will predict where the broader GOP primary electorate goes, but it's a good commentary on how thoroughly integrated the blogosphere has become in the conservative movement. Conservative blog readers aren't their own standalone constituency; they're a proxy for the movement. The lineup in the blogosphere probably isn't too far off from the organic votes cast at CPAC.
It's no surprise then that CPAC made room on its program this year for a Blogger of the Year award, won by N.Z. Bear who stands at the nexus of commentary and actually getting it done.
Patrick Ruffini
Patrick Ruffini is an online strategist dedicated to helping Republicans and conservatives achieve dominance in a networked era. He has seen American politics from every vantagepoint — as a campaign staffer, activist, and analyst.