I thought that I read somewhere that you were hired by Senator Webb for his team? Was this just during the campaign?
Well anyway, good luck on finding a new job, and we need you to hopefully find gainful employment staying the counterpart of the republican team!

I am no longer a paid employee of Webb for Senate.  I am currently job hunting.

That sounds like a pretty nice gig.

Lowell-keep it up, you'll find something awesome too.

And Dems?  Please, we have been leading the netroots for a while now, don't screw it up.

is being recognized by the Republicans. Are the Democrats, who more or less invented the effective political use of the blogosphere and new media, doing as well as the Republicans? I heard one prominent member of a local Democratic Committee say proudly "I pay no attention to the blogs, I never read a blog," indicating blogs were a useless frill and unimportant (the speaker admitted to having been castigated on one blog). The idea of this Dem party official seemed to be that blogs are a loose cannon, dangerous, and should be either ignored or crushed. Hmmm.

Is the use of the new media going to be like so many other inventions, dismissed by the parent group inventing the New Thing, but brought to full flower by the opposing group, which saw the potential because they suffered from it? I think, for example, of tanks, invented by the British in World War I, but brought to full flower by the German Nazi Panzer Divisions in the blitskreigs of early World War II.

It behooves the calcified Democratic Party leadership at all levels, local to national, to develop further the use of the new media so as not to lose their initial advantage. Let's have some respect, here.

but not every Democrat needs to read blogs. Just as we need Democrats to volunteer to keep our HQ open, we don't need every Democrat to work at HQ. We need Democrats to canvass, but not every Democrat is going to do that.

We did a good job with blogs during the election, if we recruit more bloggers we can do a good job during the assembly. If individual Democrats don't like blogs that is really not a problem.

because more boots on the ground never hurt. But suppose right now people are quietly sitting on piles of solid analytic work for lack of Democratic takers to put it to good use. Suppose their methodology is universally applicable and useful, so blogging it is not such a good idea. Finally, suppose that more than once in the past they've watched their work disappear down black holes, only to re-emerge later as the brainchild of others.

Maybe they don't count sainthood among their goals and they are not very motivated to continue embracing that process. So tell me - why should they forego the swimming pool they've wanted all their lives just because Dems don't have their act together enough to take what is offered at cutrate prices or even free?

my only point was that if some Democrat rants against blogs we shouldn't let that worry us. That person is serving the party in a different way.

Bloggers get plenty of recognition and praise, it just ain't universal.

I sometimes enjoy the "Confessions of an English Opium Eater" facet of blog material, but it's certainly not for everyone. So I'm agreeing with you about blogs not being the appropriate medium for all tastes, but take a look at some related matters. I would say first that Lowell is deserving of a position analogous to the one he congratulates. At least.

But also, blogs are not the appropriate medium for everything. When people do creative work, publishing it is one natural way to achieve closure and move on to the next project or extension. If they are eager to continue with analysis and aren't into the marketing end of things, Dems in general count on their sharing a strong service ethic and the idea of duty to self-censor. 

I'm saying that it isn't very wise to rely on something so fragile. You don't have to agree with the rightness or wrongness of it to understand that defections take place when the payoff is inadequate whether it's a job, recognition or whatever, especially when the lower levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs kick in.

And by the way, thanks for your recent diary about Opus Dei. I was blown away to see 7 or 8 of my favorite writers listed in the intro article. So I made a top 20 list. All of them except 2 were in the database.

 

As always, your comments make my head hurt, but in a really good way! :)

I was at an event this afternoon, where there were two or more bloggers present, including one elected who blogs (Bob Brink).  A former elected stated that the first thing she does in the morning is read certain Virginia blogs.  We discussed why we read blogs.  The event was in Arlington, Del. Bob Brink is also from Arlington, but the former elected is from Fairfax.  If we give it time, many local Dem committee members, and eventually the DPVA leadership, will realize the importance of blogs.

I hope we all will see you and get some time meet on this Sunday then.....

Picking Jon speaks really well of the Senate Republicans.  They could have hired a reactionary, a hot-headed knee-jerk true believer, somebody with more passion than sense.  But they hired Jon, a guy who is a Republican because he's considered all of the options and believes that it's best for him and for the nation.  (Of course, I disagree with him on that. :)  He's willing to criticize Republicans when the need arises, and willing to credit Democrats when credit is due.

Frankly, I'm surprised that they hired him. :)

could support someone who wants the government in our bedrooms, but still, I think Jon Henke is an honorable guy.  For a Republican, that is.  :)

But the thing is, Republicans want to win, and they'll do what they have to in order to make it so.  Even support Lincoln Chafee against a true conservative in the Republican primary.

So, can ya all give everyone a virtual hug, a virtual pat of the back, a virtual job well done, thanks Loundon County Dem because he always uprated my posts everywhere (:)) and have a joyous moment for me?

Good luck on your job hunt Lowell!

Lowell and others,  Until finding political blogs, particularly Virginia ones, I was in the dark on more issues, events, people, etc. than I feel comfortable admitting to.  The DPVA's website has been deficient for so long and many, many local committees provide no information at all, that I figured nothing was going on in Democratic Party Virginia outside of Northern Virginia where several friends keep me informed.  Now that I'm reading blogs, my whole outlook and information base is new and changed. 

Bottom line, I think it would benefit most to read blogs such as RK (and others) to get information that is otherwise not provided. 

And I'm a firm believer that with information there is power!