I think that the purley political blogs are driven by what is on the news; they do so to seem relavent. They also copy each other a lot.
I agree on both points -- I wonder what it would take for them to start trying to drive what's on the news. The big blogs I've listed have thousands of readers -- why not use that leverage to bring up issues that aren't necessarily front-and-center in the MSM...?
Great post, Jeff. I love the big political blogs, but there's a bit of a herd mentality: if one of 'em covers something in the headlines, they all follow. AmericaBlog and TalkLeft have bit wider scope, but it's still all nuclear-option-all-the-time. Which is fine. It leaves me to comment on other issues. But I do think that the big guys help build momentum in politics--i.e. if enough of them pile on an issue, the corporate media seems to eventually catch on--which is exactly why it'd be nice to see more on environmentalism and sustainability.
You've raised an interesting point. In Portugal the situation seems to be similar. Environmental blogs are few and the number of daily hits match that interest. That's why I try to sort of pool evry interesting and substancial enviro news I get on the net in order to translate and summarise it into my blog. Besides giving me the chance to practice two languages, I hope it'll be useful for many Portuguese language speaking people. Who knows?
I wouldn't fret about their lack of coverage, Jeff. When the time comes, and an environmental story breaks big, they'll be combing Technorati for sources and they'll trip over you and all of the others.
In the meantime, just be happy building a community around your blog and knowing you have a dedicated reader base.
Thanks for including us in your thoughts, Jeff.
Although I don't know that we're on the same tier at PK as Ezra...one of the things we do is cover a wide scope of political issues.
I've often wondered if this wide scope keeps us from getting more notice...as we're not really a "niche" blog. But then I read comments like yours and think perhaps it's not so much about a "niche".
[Subject] StateDemocracy.org Equips You for the 2008 Elections
Dear Citizen:
Are you ready yet for the November 4th Elections? How about your friends, family, and neighbors?
More Americans are expected to vote this year than ever before in history, so don’t be left out! Be sure to ask everyone you know the following questions:
Are you registered to vote? If you moved recently, have you updated your voter registration?
Did you apply for an Absentee Ballot? Do you know your state may not require any reason?
Can you find your local Polling Place? Do you know it may have changed from last time?
The answers to these questions -- and all your voting needs -- can be found at www.StateDemocracy.org -- the FREE 1-Stop citizen empowerment portal that Delivers Democracy to your Desktop! StateDemocracy is among the Internet’s first (since 2001) and most encompassing civic empowerment tools.
In order to boost voter participation this year, StateDemocracy.org is offering FREE widgets for all 50 states. You can simply download and embed these widgets into your own website so your visitors can register to vote, get an absentee ballot or find their local polling place.
Lobby Congress Via StateDemocracy
StateDemocracy.org also equips you to maintain an active dialog with your state and federal lawmakers once they are elected. And RIGHT NOW is an especially opportune time to contact your U.S. Senators and House Member, as Congress takes up major legislation on such issues as offshore oil drilling, another economic stimulus package and all federal appropriations bills over the next few weeks.
As you lobby your elected officials, remember that lawmakers view your constituent input as reflective of scores of other citizens who felt similarly, but didn’t have (or take) the time to share their opinions.
LobbyDelegates.com Further Empowered Grassroots Voices
Over the past 5 months, you may have visited www.LobbyDelegates.com, along with 26,000 other visitors. This latest public interest portal by the StateDemocracy Foundation remained the only online tool enabling rank-and-file Democrats to lobby all 800+ Super Delegates on which candidate to back for the party’s Presidential nomination.
StateDemocracy Foundation Website Users Unite!
Many of you have used our StateDemocracy.org and LobbyDelegates.com tools in recent times, and have hopefully found your experience uplifting and empowering. I encourage all of you to help spread the news about StateDemocracy.org to enable more of our fellow citizens to Connect! Engage! And Empower!
Sincerely,
Ken Laureys, Executive Director
StateDemocracy Foundation
Ken.Laureys@StateDemocracy.org
P.S. If you are interested in becoming more involved in our StateDemocracy Foundation -- including volunteering as an Advisory Board Member -- please contact me.
Commenting by HaloScan
