Importance of blogs in Lamont/Lieberman contest

[monarch]

There is an article in the Hartford Courant's Northeast Magazine that is interesting not only from its perspective on the Lieberman/Lamont race but also for its attention to the use of the internet.

http://www.courant.com/news/local/northeast/hc-pbass0423.artapr23,0,3548451.column


Joe's Getting Blogged Down
April 23, 2006


"TV and high-priced hired-gun TV ad makers no longer rule campaigns. Bloggers have taken their place. Politicians have to inspire them, not buy them. Their wildcat work spreads like a virus through computer screens across the country. In just 45 days as a candidate, Lamont brought in donations from over 4,000 people across the country. Thousands more clicked on to volunteer....

"CTblogger," a dreadlocked 37-year-old western Connecticut man who runs his own site (connecticutblog.blogspot.com ) and squats on countless others, had both a video and a digital still camera working all night. (He prefers not to have his real name printed for fear his boss at his day job will find out how much time he spends posting.) CTblogger never got involved in campaigns before now. After 2004 he decided he was "tired of Democrats who didn't show any backbone...."

At Naples, he worked alongside Beau Anderson, aka "Spazeboy." Anderson, who's 24, followed his girlfriend east from Iowa. He works in a medical records office and attends Tunxis Community College. And he puts together sophisticated videos about Lamont and Lieberman, not to mention an unofficial Lamont web site (www.laresistance. us/blog/ned-lamont-la-resistance-round-up/ index.htm). Spazeboy, too, is new to politics, propelled by his disgust with Bush and conventional Democrats....

Also working the room was Keith Crane, whose www.dumpjoe.com started enlisting anti-Lieberman volunteers and money before Lamont even decided to run."

Lots, lots more good stuff!