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Even
if it’s just a happy coincidence, bloggers are
becoming an important tributary to the mainstream
media, even as their flow of ideas and opinions
parallels and crosses the conventional wisdom.
Gibson
noted that campaigns are following blogger posts and
he highlighted the work of Jim Bacon, described as
“a conservative with a libertarian streak and wry
sense of humor.” Highlighting
Jim Bacon is always a ticket to recognition here and
it’s certainly deserved, although he might quibble
a bit with the “conservative” label.
Pausing from his usual transportation and
development beat, he led the way on two big stories:
the Jerry Kilgore accent debate and the travails of
hapless 50th District GOP challenger
Steve Chapman.
Also
in the last column, I led with pundit criticism of
the Kaine-Kilgore campaign.
The next day, Bart Hinkle of the Times-Dispatch
added to that meme. Hinkle
compared the campaign to “a spat in a sandbox.”
A few days later, third party challenger Russ
Potts, usually the original sound-byte king,
shamelessly used the same metaphor.
The media, the politicos, and now the
bloggers are in one big, symbiotic maelstrom.
The
Schapiro Crusade
It’s
getting more and more difficult to give Times-
Dispatch columnist Jeff Schapiro the benefit of
the doubt on producing realistic analysis of the
2005 gubernatorial campaign or giving Sen. George
Allen a fair shake. With
the most recent poll data showing Kilgore with an
8-point lead, Schapiro focused
on the potential of Kaine riding “psychological
warfare” to victory and accused Allen of
“bullying” in winning the governor’s race in
1993. He did
allow that the dust-up over Kilgore’s accent was
“bordering on the mean- spirited.”
In
his latest column, Schapiro lionizes former Governor
Linwood Holton and his effort to “extract
revenge” on the Republican Party and, by
implication, Sen. George Allen.
He all but calls Jerry Kilgore an Allen
toady, while speculating that:
A
Governor Kaine would delight in waging a rear-guard
action against Allen, calling attention to the
Republican's perceived excesses -- as a delegate,
congressman, governor and senator -- on matters
fiscal, social and cultural.
The
use of “perceived” is a nice touch to hide
Schapiro’s obvious feelings.
Turning to the One
Man’s Trash blog after a Schapiro column is
now a must.
A
Fair Shake
Contrast
Schapiro’s jihad
against George Allen with this piece by Gordon
Morse in the Daily
Press. Morse
has never made his disagreement with most Republican
policies a secret, but he is enough of a realist to
acknowledge that "the man has undeniable
political gifts.” Morse
admits to having underestimated Allen when he was a
backbencher in the House of Delegates, but swears he
won’t again.
Two
Kinds of Diversity
The
Roanoke Times
has given editorial staff member Shanna Flowers a
metro column, and her first offering is a plug for respecting
diversity. The
blogger known as Salt
Lick has his own ideas for diversity at the
newspaper.
The
Taxpayer Hula
A
large contingent of Virginia local government officials will be trudging to
Hawaii in July for the National Association of Counties
convention. One
of the reasons this is a “must attend” event is
to stir up interest in the 2007 convention site—Richmond. Of course,
attendees are claiming that a lot of work will be
accomplished. Michael
Paul Williams of the T-D
is incredulous: “I mean, who are we kidding? Who
goes to Hawaii
to work? That's just wrong.”
Williams
is the subject of a profile
in this month’s
Richmond
magazine and yours truly is quoted.
Around
the Commonwealth
Kerry
Dougherty of the Virginian-Pilot
was upset
by a trash dump discovered at False Cape
State Park, while Tamara
Dietrich of the Daily
Press was not pleased by a plan to spread
bio-solids (“poop”) from Washington, D.C., to Isle of Wight County.
The
co-chairmen of Virginians
for Better Transportation, representing three
major areas of the state, expressed their
organization’s goals in the Roanoke
Times: "We need a long-term transportation
funding solution."
Marc
Fisher of the Washington
Post validated the American Podiatric Medical
Association rating of Arlington
as the most “walkable” city in America.
Loudoun
County’s innovative approach to attracting
industry—concentrating on worker
availability and housing--was noted by Post
business columnist Steven Pearlstein.
No
Sundaes
Tucked
among the Times-Dispatch
letters to the editor on the subject of universal
national service was a supportive missive from
none other than Professor-Pundit Larry Sabato of the
University
of Virginia. The sage of
Charlottesville wrote:
I'm
convinced that a presidential candidate who embraced
this idea would be shocked by the counter-intuitive
reaction among the young. Yet I fear that 2008 will
once again turn into a battle of "hot fudge
sundae" offers to the public.
--
April 25, 2005
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