Coming from top Republican Virginia blogger (and former RPV Communications Director) Shaun Kenney, perhaps I should take this as a compliment?Get the Democratic blogosphere re-engaged. Let’s face it — where is Lowell Feld in this campaign? Blue Virginia (and he has to know this on some level) is a terrible platform for Lowell. Go around to the rest… there is no major hub for the Dems anymore. On the right, the orchestra of Jeffersoniad bloggers – Bearing Drift and Virginia Virtucon being the baddest blogs on the block — are the best insurance policy McDonnell has so far, and it’s totally a grassroots effort.On one level, this is kind of insulting, claiming that "Blue Virginia...is a terrible platform for Lowell." True, BV is not a full-fledged community blog like RK. On the other hand, it's a group blog with excellent contributors like Miles Grant, Dan Sullivan, Alan Zimmerman ("Aznew"), Kathy in Blacksburg, Kyle Blankenship, and others now and again. In terms of traffic, Blue Virginia gets about 35,000 visits per month, twice what Bearing Drift gets. That doesn't sound like too bad of a "platform" for my progressive friends and me to express our views of Bob McDonnell, Cooch, and all the other RPV crazies. Regardless, this is the platform I've chosen while I'm killing time/figuring out what to do with the rest of my life (I'm hoping to land back in the federal government sometime soon, at which point I may stop blogging altogether...we'll see).
On the other hand, maybe I should take it as a compliment that the former RPV Communications Director thinks that one of the keys to Creigh Deeds' election is getting...that's right, yours truly..."re-engaged?" It's fascinating, I never knew that I was so important to Creigh Deeds' election chances (opposing him in the primary really KILLED him, huh? - lol), but thanks for the vote of confidence Shaun!
In all seriousness, though, I do agree with Shaun that I'm not (yet, at least) truly fired up about this race. No doubt, I was far more excited about the Kaine/Byrne/Deeds vs. Kilgore/Bolling/McDonell race of 2005 (when "Raising Kaine" was just getting going, when the Virginia Democratic blogosphere was really starting to crank up, and when many of us wanted to take out our anger against Swift Boating Republicans somehow or other). I was most definitely more fired up for Jim Webb vs. "Felix Macacawitz" in 2006. I was also very excited about Chap Petersen (and many others) in 2007, not to mention Barack Obama (and Tom Perriello, Judy Feder, etc.) in 2008. On that score, I believe I'm like a lot of other Democrats, and the problem very well may be structural. What I mean is this: anger is one of the most powerful fuels pushing the political blogs, and when Bush/Cheney were in the White House, progressive activists were seething with anger. Today, with Barack Obama in the White House and Democrats (sort of) controlling the House and Senate, much of the progressive activist anger has dissipated, and to some extent has been turned against the Democrat Congress and even Barack Obama himself (I've seen a lot of it in the "left-o-sphere" and heard it from friends who are significantly more to the "left" than I am). Meanwhile, the "right-o-sphere" activists and bloggers are now the ones who are angry, albeit incoherently and inchoate-ly ("I want my country back!", they scream!), but it's anger nonetheless and that's "fuel" of a sort (we'll see if it leads to self-immolation or outward-directed energy, though).
So, that's where we are right now, about 84 days from the election. Can Democrats and progressive activists turn it around and get fired up by the fall, or will we be defeated by the Bearing Drift/Virginia Virtucon (I'm sure Too Conservative will appreciate being ranked below Virginia Virtucon by Shaun - ha!) juggernaut? We're going to find out soon enough, but somehow if the awesome power of the Virginia Republican blogosphere is the basis for Shaun's optimism regarding McDonell/Bolling/Cooch, I'm actually feeling more optimistic than I was before reading what he had to say. So, thanks Shaun, you've made me feel a bit better about life today! :)
UPDATE: Shaun writes, "over at Blue Virginia our friend Lowell doesn’t know if I complimented or insulted him. No worries Lowell...it was a compliment." Phew, what a relief! :)
