Joho the Blog
An Entry from the Archives

Interesting. first time reading a blogger. Better than the "media".

David, thanks for the excellent photos.

Let me make some observations about the coverage so far by the media including bloggers.

There's a story in today's NY Times, "On a Night The Anchors Outshined The Politicians." It goes on to say, "It was perhaps inevitable that NBC would stay with 'Fear Factor' while Al Gore spoke. But Fox News did not switch to the former vice president either, choosing instead to keep the camera on Bill O'Reilly."

Despite the fact that polls are showing that most Americans consider this an important election, and that they know little about the candidate John Kerry, the emphasis seems to be on the commentators--and this includes the bloggers--while issues such as gay marriage, health care, stem cell research, etc., are not being fully examined even in a partisan context.

Kerry asserted that life begins at conception to an Iowan newspaper, but then defending a woman's right to choose an abortion because it's the law. This alone prompts many questions about the Democratic platform.

I agree that the bloggers should not be placed in the role of reporters "covering" the convention, but with all the major media attention given to the bloggers, I would think that this would be a prime opportunity to list the questions that need to be asked to provide a more nuanced view of these issues. The bloggers should be instigators, and not passive receivers of digital glitz and glimmer.

This would go far to remove the so-called "perception difficulty" associated with Kerry. It would make all the security mazes and plasma screens worth the expense. To me the bloggers in their convention box seem to be settling in a little too comfortably, at least for now. The bloggers should be testing the rigor of the Democrats' argument. It's time to shift the spotlight from the podium and the anchor desk to the periphery, where critical commentary is not expected to end before the next commercial break.

Go get 'em, tiger.

I just wanted to add another point I didn't make in the above. Part of Bush's appeal is his decisiveness and strongly-held convictions, while Kerry is positioned as a "flip-flopper" by the opposition. During this convention, if Kerry cannot demonstrate the same sort of resolve to a specific set of strategies, he'll only be heard by those already committed to voting for him.

It's outrageous to think that, 200 years ago, under those very skies, free-speakers were the vast majori-tea.
Re: scripted event, and "class" reunion--that's exactly it--it just isn't authentic.

Bill K, you're over-estimating my access as a blogger. I'm seated 7 stories up. There's no one I can ask your questions.

(As for the "life begins at conception" comment: Kerry as a Catholic believes that. Kerry as a citizen believes his religious views shouldn't set policy. That's how I take it, anyway.)

David:

First, I think it's great that you're emphasizing the absurdity of this free-speech zone, and your photos serve as documentation. So, you are setting the stage for proposing a better way for allowing voices from the periphery while allowing adequate security. The present form of this convention must be nudged to evolve faster to keep up with Internet time (does anyone use this term anymore?).

Second, instead of you having to access anyone at this convention, they should be approaching you for where clarification is needed. While some speeches are emotionally stirring, the connected audience requires a more sophisticated analysis of what's at stake with these issues. Ron Reagan, Jr. is going to go up there tonight and present a case for federal funding for stem cell research, which the Japanese government recently decided to endorse (including from what I'm reading therapeutic cloning), but this is just a start. People are hungry for information. I just heard a sound bite from Kerry, "We need a President who believes in science...let's go forward." For me, that's not enough, I want to hear about his plan or at least hear him demonstrate that he's utilizing the connectivity of the Web to listen to the reports from the periphery. We've recently learned that we can't depend upon our government agencies for accurate intelligence. So be it. The citizens will have to do the homework. I think that's a good role for the bloggers or everyone for that matter.

I'm just saying that I'm hoping that the influence of the blogging will be such that the format for the political convention will be forever changed from its present form.

Absolutely that's a role bloggers can play. But those of us at the Convention are in the worst position to play it. So, I'm counting on you and your cohorts, for example, to keep us honest and smart about stem cell research...