Drake uses Nye’s words from a Virginia blog in recent ad
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Published September 30th, 2008
Rep. Thelma Drake (R-VA02) released her second ad of the campaign and a Virginia blog is prominently on display. (I’d embed the ad, but apparently that feature has been disabled at this posting).
The ad takes several quotes that Glenn Nye made this past May on VB Dems regarding his opposition to offshore drilling and raising taxes on energy companies and contrasts those statements with his most recent positions quoted in the Virginian-Pilot and Cathy Lewis’ “Hearsay” on WHRO.
Taking the policy positions out of this for a second though, what does this mean for blogging? Will candidates be less willing to come on blogs and communicate? Or does this give blogging greater credibility as a source?
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I think candidates should use blogs to connect with voters and clarify what mainstream media soundbites can’t capture. While this may give opponents additional material to use, the value of the voter connection outweighs that possibility.
I think candidates should understand that blogs are public forums and their words carry weight no matter where they put them, whether on a blog, in a paper column, on TV or what not.
Jim has a point. I think it will keep candidates from talking to people who publish what candidates say. It already does, to a certain extent. The number of politicians who engage the blogs by name is a small, small percentage.
It makes it tough to have two positions on drilling a few months apart, but I know elected officials who won’t talk to the press if they can help it, and group the blogs in the same category.
No matter what is said, i am sure the folks at VBDems are having an orgy over just being acknowledged
These guys and gals are smart enough to realize that it’s a brave new world. Blogs are legitimate and are becoming even more mainstream.
The reality is, the public has voice and it’s being heard. Any politician who tries and silence that voice does so at their own peril.
How hard would it be for a couple thousand bloggers to track which politians are denying bloggers access? Not very. And how fast before main stream media uses that info for their coverage of that politicain?
Between the media, who’ve slashed their research staffs and are using blogs for that purpose, and a public that’s tracking the politicians closer than ever before, I don’ t think they can avoid bloggers for long.
As someone said to me a couple of days ago, live blogs are an opposition researcher’s dream. The time will come when they no longer exist, for the reasons enumerated in other other comments.
This is easy. Stop saying one thing to your liberal friends and another to everyone else. If you’re consistent you have nothing to worry about.