« Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.--George Santayana | Main | Mr. Smith goes to Washington »

March 17, 2005

It's not easy...to be...me

I can't stand to fly
I'm not that naive
I'm just out to find
The better part of me

Shaun at Upper Left wants to find a way to hold lefty bloggers to a standard:

If the lefty blogosphere is ever going to become the kind of sound machine that can beat back the wingnut echo chamber, that kind of simple, consistent message is what we need, and our Congressional leadership, is where it should come from. I know that will sound unacceptably 'top-down' to some, but we expect the members of the Congressional bodies to observe some level of Party discipline on principle issues. Why should the grassroots be held to a lower standard?

Shaun makes a valid point about the need for netroots to become a strong and vocal sound machine. I also think bloggers can take cues from a Congressional leadership that pulls it's members together in unison, articulating liberal values and ideas.

But I think Shaun is wrong about having such expectations for bloggers. First of all, most bloggers aren't paid for what they do. In fact, most bloggers pay for their own domain and blog upkeep. Second, most of us have a real job outside of blogging that takes up the majority of our time (nevermind parenting and other community based activities).

Trying to force bloggers under these circumstances to adhere to a standard is like herding cats. Then add to the mix that you're talking about lefties...and you're going to start running into antiauthoritarian streaks (like me, for instance).

I think the better way to work with lefty bloggers is to have resources available to them. The DCCC, DSCC and DNC should have a blogger liason in each of their offices. This person could be responsible for disseminating information to the email boxes of willing bloggers, for example.

But first things, first. The Democratic Congressional leadership can't even hold their own fractured group together and speak with a united voice that articulates the values and ideas of the left. Until that's sorted out..having resources for bloggers to articulate these ideas can't work.

Another thing...I blog because I like to write. I do it for my own pleasure. It's helped me to discover and explore aspects of my own belief system. I don't consider what I do part of a larger echo chamber. Even though I've done a few things that have probably assisted the left at a more local level...in the end this writing is about what energizes and works for me.

I can't imagine I'm the only one that feels this way.

Posted by Carla at March 17, 2005 06:47 AM