First and foremost, Romancing the Grizzly Strategy, worked!

Our soon to be endorsed Republican candidate Mr. John McCain, has invited the Grizzly Groundswell’s own Teddy Bear, that is me, Mr. Chad T. Everson to his big party here in St. Paul, Minnesota.

You see, I have been very hard on John McCain. He was not my first or even third choice for our Republican endorsed candidate. However, what ever I may think, say or cry about that, John McCain is a winner! He beat the tar out of my conservative candidates and I respect and admire that.

John McCain will be our next President because he has the whole of the Republican Party behind him. The American soldier and the taxpayer will line up and pull that lever for this great man because he out foxed, out maneuvered and out last his Republican competition.

I am assured that John McCain will select the best person for Vice President and we will be on our way of four more years of prosperity. John McCain knows that and so do I. We disagree on a few things but when the battle is engaged, we are more apt to defeat socialists on the opposition then our own in our own Republican party. The Republican Party as well as the American taxpayer has a long fight ahead of us to win the hearts and minds of the American people when it comes to Socialism. That battle is won day to day and over a long period of time. It will not be won this election cycle regardless of our endorsed candidate.

You see, John McCain and I understand that Reagan was correct. The Republican ideals and conservative movement are the only ideals that will ensure America will continue to be that shining city on the hill it has been now for many great generations.

I am sure John McCain is as critical of this Teddy Bear as anyone. Although, I do not know anyone who truly hates a Teddy Bear. Yet, when and if we get a chance to meet at John’s big party at the RNC Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, we will shake hands. I pray the best for him and his leadership because he is the horse we are going to be riding for atleast the next four years. I will do everything I can to assist him. He will not agree with me and my view of socialism as I in turn will be that nagging blogger who tries from my little piece of America to right his decisions or cheer him on as he tackles some of these challenges.

I do not hate John McCain, I actually admire the hell out of him, yet, we see things from two different vantage points. He is a war hero and a truly remarkable politician. I am a blogger, an artist and just a normal guy. Actually, I am sure John would say the same of himself.

John McCain and the Republican Party are not the entities that try to control or silence opposition. Why would they have awarded me a press credential to John’s Grand Ole Party in St. Paul? They could of black listed me and kept me at arms distance like the DNC bloggers are suggesting. I am not by any means a “great” blogger, actually I am very mediocre. I just started a year ago, July 27th, 2007. There are many better then I and many who are greater John McCain supporters then I.

However, is that not the difference between the DNC and the RNC? One, the DNC, is a tyrannical Nazi organization and the other, the RNC is just good people trying to do the best not for themselves, but for this country. One party, the DNC proclaims hope, change and diversity and the other party, the RNC embodies, acts and reflects it!

The DNC bloggers are crying like socialist squirrels over the lack of diversity amongst them. Well Duh! You can not tell me they actually believe that crap! Look at the Grizzly Groundswell’s members! Who do you see there? Homeschoolers, blacks, whites, Jewish, Parents, Veterans, and even Democrats, Libertarians, Independents, Republicans, and other parties. Talk about diversity! The Republican Party and the Grizzly Groundswell has it! We embody it and honestly, we just look at ourselves as Americans who uphold conservatism. We do not segregate ourselves! We do not cry out for an equal representation!

If the DNC bloggers should cry out, it should be over their stupidity in calling themselves Democrat yet organizing with “Super Delegates”, What the hell is that all about? Democracy my arse!

I just hope that even the socialist squirrel bloggers that will have to check this blog post out to see what we are saying about them even see the contrast between the two parties here.

I do not deserve to be a credentialed blogger with an RNC press pass because of my opposition past opposition to our next President, John McCain. I am also a mediocre blogger and my own Republican BPOU and state MN GOP does not appretiate my efforts or even my thought I write out for the world to see right here on the Grizzly Groundswell. However, the RNC is not afraid of me. They know that I am utilizing this alternative media in some really astounding ways and they know I represent a uniting force across this great country of conservative Republican, Democrat, Independent and other conservative parties. They recognize my talent and effort. They also probably know that they may need me to see what they see. They want to share their vision with me as I grow this Grizzly Groundswell.

I am opinionated and not wrong as much as the left think. However, I have my days of not perceiving the whole battle feild. I recognize that and I am always learning, growing, networking and talking and listening. I represent 80+ bloggers and 40+ online radio shows. Most times, it does not matter what my convictions are. I can not lead anyone, especially a conservative where they do not want to go. I can only offer my insight, my suggestions and my perceptions. Then I hope someone takes what I say or do seriously.

It was a great flattering moment when I heard the DNC had stole my 50 State Grizzly Groundswell Governors concept. I chuckled. I knew they could not pull it off. From all this Socialist Squirrel piss and vinegar from their hapless bloggers, once again I was correct. First, their implementation was so DNC. Mandates and selections. There was no offering of an opportunity here. They just had to approach it like so many of their failed socialist squirrel programs. The blogger who depends upon that DNC teet is crying Piss and Vinegar! It is so hilarious!

In the Grizzly Groundswell, I offered my Grizzly Groundswell Governorships as an opportunity. A status symbol for the first in thier state to jump on the Grizzly Groundswell movement. It was really successful and now we hardly even refer to it. The Grizzly Groundswell is a free market where any conservative can join and plug thier blog into this great resource and become one of many fighting the tyranny and corruption of the Socialist Squirrel DNC has infected our government and beloved institutions with. Honestly, we do not need titles. We do not need Kudos. We are going to take the fight to the socialist squirrels for a long, long time.

I really did not expect to be invited to the RNC convention in 2008. I had honestly written that opportunity off. I was really happy that 7 of my Grizzly Groundswell members were awarded press credentials. It seems that the DNC bloggers are crying piss and vinegar for nothing. I think that if our Republican bloggers were as petty and stupid they may get a little bent out of shape to know that 7 of my authors were awarded press credentials. However, Republican bloggers, even though we are competitive, are pretty great people. They work extremely hard and do not expect all the hoopla I guess DNC bloggers demand. However, I am humbled by our success and our RNC party who actually get what we are doing. Actually, I am elated! You see I always want our members to attain their goals. This was one of our goals this year and we accomplished it.

We are going to take this great opportunity the RNC and John McCain have rewarded us with seriously. We are going to bring about a whole new way of networking this alternative media to cover this event. Remember what TV did to politics once the first Presidential debate was covered? Well, that is what this Grizzly Groundswell strategy will do in covering this great historic RNC convention.

Now as far as the Democrat bloggers go, you can read all thier silly socialist squirrel piss and vinegar below. Honestly, it is very entertaining. Does not this remind you of elementary school? I bet they were picked last for the kick ball teams.

Enjoy and tell me what you think on the Socialist Squirrel Radio show!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/socialistsquirrel 10PM-Midnight Friday 7/25/08

Oh, and socialist squirrels are very welcome to call! The more the merrier. Just know that I will grab you by the tail and have fun with you until I chase you off like the rest of your nutty friends.

Hey why don’t you socialist squirrels make yourself useful and spell and grammar check this post for me!

Enjoy reading the Piss and Vinegar of the Socialist Squirrel Cry Babies!

John McCain is going to eat your Obamanation for breakfast!

~Teddy Bear

~Piss and Vinegar Starts Here!~

http://www.leftinthewest.com/upload/05192008.dnccletter.html

Governor Howard Dean
Democratic National Committee
430 S. Capitol St., SE
Washington, DC 20003

Monday, May 19, 2008

Governor Dean:

Let us begin by noting our respect for your position at the Democratic National Committee and the reforms you have made. Your efforts to rebuild the Democratic Party in all 50 states has reinvigorated the political debate across the country — and strengthened not just the party, but our country as well, in the process.

We write to you today out of concern that the same principles that have strengthened our party are today being ignored in the state blog credentialing process for the Democratic National Convention in Denver this summer.

As long-time progressive state bloggers, we have now witnessed many of our well-respected colleagues from crucial states be passed over. In many states, it appears that parochial politics and hurt egos played a role in these decisions. These concerns run counter to our shared goals of using programs like the state blogger pool to “tear down the walls” in Denver — and better connect the American people with the events on the ground.

The Democratic Party endangers its own long-term viability when it makes fealty a criterion for inclusion. Instead, the Party should act to ensure that it includes its ideological media allies, even if those allies are occasional tactical or strategic critics.

We, the undersigned, have been included in the state credentials pool, despite our own history of criticism of local Democratic actors. This speaks well to the character of our own local parties. But while our peers in other states are being excluded, we’d be remiss in staying silent.

We encourage you to review the selection process undertaken and reasons given by state parties for excluding some of America’s most respected state level progressive blogs. We believe a fair and thorough review is necessary to ensure success for this promising experiment in shining a light on the Democratic Convention.

Sincerely,

Dean Barker, Blue Hampshire (NH)

Charley Blandy, Blue Mass Group (MA)

Laura Clawson, Blue Hampshire (NH)

Robert Cruickshank, Calitics (CA)

Dave Dayen, Calitics (CA)

John Ehrhardt, SquareState (CO)

Lowell Feld, Raising Kaine (VA)

Jon Flack, Tondee’s Tavern (GA)

Matt Glazer, Burnt Orange Report (TX)

Steve Hanson, Uppity Wisconsin (WI)

Matt Jerzyk, Rhode Island’s Future (RI)

David Kravitz, Blue Mass Group (MA)

Brian Leubitz, Calitics (CA)

Phillip Martin, Burnt Orange Report (TX)

Ryan McLeod, Daily Kingfish (LA)

Kyle Michaelis, New Nebraska Network (NE)

Betsy Muse, BlueNC (NC)

Karl-Thomas Musselman, Burnt Orange Report (TX)

Bob Neer, Blue Mass Group (MA)

Chad Nodland, North Decoder (ND)

Lucas O’Connor, Calitics (CA)

John Odum, Green Mountain Daily (VT)

Kenneth Quinnell, Florida Progressive Coalition (FL)

Julia Rosen, Calitics (CA)

Matt Singer, Left in the West (MT)

Joe Sonka, BlueGrassRoots (KY)

Jay Stevens, Left in the West (MT)

Jeff Wegerson, Prairie State Blue (IL)

http://www.leftinthewest.com/upload/05192008.dnccletter.html

~Piss and Vinegar continues~

Melanin-Rich Bloggers at the Democratic National Convention

Posted on June 1st, 2008 by Kai

Thanks to the intrepid fighting spirit of amiga Liza Sabater, I’ve been credentialed to attend the Democratic National Convention in Denver from August 25 through 28, as a member of the CultureKitchen crew. It’s an exciting opportunity to take part in what is likely to be a historic event; so I’ll be bringing my laptop and camera and as keen and critical an eye as I can muster to the scene, and doing what I can to share some of what I see. I’m guessing that Liza and I, along with three other members of the CultureKitchen team who are also collaborators on The Sanctuary — Kety, Kyle, and Nezua — will bring a somewhat non-conventional perspective to the party.

And so, for the first time in my 4 years of blogging, I’ve added an Alms Bowl to my Zuky sidebar where I’m accepting contributions from readers and supporters. Amigo Nezua (who whipped up the beautiful Donate button; thanks bro!) and I are tag-teaming our fundraising efforts, so we’ll pool whatever we come up with in order to help finance our trips to Denver. If you see value in what we’re doing and can spare a little something to chip in to the cause, it’s most appreciated. This bloggy Buddhist bows before you with respect and gratitude and an open heart.

Getting back the convention itself, the DNCC is boasting about the record number of blogs that have been credentialed, but it’s been a controversial and typically racially-fractured process. Especially since the Democratic Party appears to be poised to nominate its first ever African American presidential candidate, you’d think that organizers would be doing whatever they could to enlist a diverse group of bloggers. But the first 55 blogs that were announced as members of the “state blogger corps” were almost all white. Not a single Afrosphere blogger made the cut. According to the Washington Post:

“OK, folks, black bloggers to the back of the bus,” read one post on the African American Political Pundit, one of the more prominent national black blogs. A posting on Georgia Politics Unfiltered, a state blog, read: “Jim Crow raises his ugly head . . . at the Democratic Convention.”

The protracted primary has been like a bottomless glass to thirsty national and local bloggers — so much to blog about! — and about 400 of them have applied to attend the convention. Although four years ago the credentialing of 30 bloggers in a single pool was a historic event, this August there are two blogger pools: a State Blogger Corps and a General Blogger Pool.

The State Corps is considered the more elite; its 55 bloggers will have floor access all four days, sit next to their state delegations and be hooked up to the Internet. Those not chosen for the State Corps are competing for spots in the General Pool, which will have rotating floor access. The State Corps list was announced nearly two weeks ago; the General Pool list, DNC officials say, will be released this week.

Natalie Wyeth, spokeswoman for the convention committee, says criteria for selecting State Corps bloggers were readership, online ratings and focus on local and state politics. The General Pool will also be selected on the basis of readership and online ratings, she adds, with an emphasis on bloggers covering “national politics to niche issues of interest to specific communities.”

Race was not a factor in the selection of the State Corps, Wyeth repeatedly says.

Haven’t we seen this movie before? The white liberal blogosphere has become positively legendary for its racial dysphoria and cluelessness. If race is “not a factor” and you end up inviting an all-white list, what are you saying? I guess we’re back to the question that Brownfemipower once ironically posed in a now-classic guest-post, “Where are all the bloggers of color?” And I guess some white liberal bloggers still haven’t figured it out.

It’s a good thing that Liza, among others, never quit fighting; otherwise who knows just how melanin-lite the final list of credentialed bloggers might be. Most of us bloggers of color will be lowly “general pool” bloggers with limited access, but so it goes. In any case, I won’t really be there to lobby or schmooze, so it might not really matter for me. I hope to get a sense of what’s going on both inside and outside the convention hall. I hope to catch the action not only on the big stage but also in the margins and corners. I’m interested in hearing out not only the party faithful but also the party skeptics and the dissenters. That’s the kind of thing I’ll be up to when the time comes in August.

[ Cross-posted at Zuky ]

http://apaforprogress.org/wordpress/?p=155

~Piss and Vinegar continues~

The DNC’s blog credentialing f’up

by kos

Tue May 20, 2008 at 11:58:18 AM PDT

The
DNC started off great with their blogging credentialling process. Of
particular note was their state-blogger program, which would seat
grassroots-level state bloggers with their delegations on the
convention floor. This was how it was pitched at the time:

2008 DemConvention State Blogger Corps

Recognizing the growth of more localized blogs, this pool is
designed for those covering state and local politics. To qualify as a
state blogger, the applicant’s blog must have been in existence six
months prior to requesting credentials and have at least 120
politically related blog posts. Bloggers must submit their daily
audience and list their authority based on Technorati stats. Bloggers
may also provide examples of posts that make their blog stand out as an effective online organizing tool and/or agent of change.

A press release from that time:

In November, the DNCC announced its blogger credentialing process
for 2008, including an expansion of the credentialed blogger pool from
prior cycles and the addition of a state blogger credentialing program.
Under the DemConvention State Blogger Corps, which is designed for
those covering state and local politics, the DNCC is offering the
opportunity for one blogger to be credentialed from each of the states
and territories. The program, recognizing the growth of more localized blogs and in line with Governor Dean’s 50-state strategy, has been open for applications since December.

So how did the DNC choose to recognize the growth of local blogs “in
line with Governor Dean’s 50-state strategy”? Mostly, they got it
right. At least in 45 states. But they blew it big time in five others,
dissing some of the best state bloggers in the country.

In New York, the excellent Albany Project was passed over for a site focused on NY City corruption founded by the Politico’s Ben Smith. Go to that site, and it’s nothing but press releases.
[Update: That press release page is a lower-level page, which I got
when I clicked on the "blog" link in their navigation. They have real
writers on their home page.]

In New Jersey, the inimitable Blue Jersey
got passed over for PolitickerNJ — a non-partisan, corporate owned
site run by the guys who own the New York Observer. Somehow, I doubt
that’s inline with the spirit of Dean’s 50-state strategy, online
organizing, or being agents of change.

In Alabama, Left in Alabama was passed over, as was Cotton Mouth
in Mississippi, passed over in favor of a site, Natchez Blog, devoted
to Natchez MS, population 18,000 — a site, by the way, that didn’t
have a single post or action alert on the MS-01 special election we won
last week. Cotton Mouth was one of the best resources on that race (and
the Senate race as well).

Finally, Michigan Liberal was given the big diss as well.

The DNC’s online guy at the convention, Aaron Myers (email: MyersA@demconvention.com)
claims that it’s a big ado about nothing, that the snubbed blogs will
be getting regular blog credentials when those are announced sometime
this week.

But that’s not the point.

The state blogger corps were a special program and a particularly coveted one since it allows those bloggers to sit with their delegations on the convention floor. Regular bloggers can’t do that. They may “have access” to the state delegations, but they won’t be sitting with them.

The solution was easy — take the five blogs that were given their
unwarranted access, and give them regular blog credentials just like
most everyone else. Those are the same credentials sites like Daily Kos
will have, so there’s nothing shameful about them.

Then they could give those five state blogger corps passes in MI,
AL, MS, NY, and NJ to the blogs in those states that have are TRUE
reflections of Dean’s 50-state strategy, those blogs that are
organizing and building for a Democratic majority at the local level
with little recognition virtually and no money. Those are the bloggers who are in the trenches helping make victories like MS-01 possible.

This fix could’ve been done quietly and without any public
commotion, but Aaron Myers and whoever ultimately makes those decisions
have decided to be obtuse about it. They’re pretend that there’s no
difference between the regular credentials and the state blogger ones,
a farcical position. If there was no difference between the two classes
of credentials, then there wouldn’t be two classes of credentials.

So why would the DNC take a program that had gotten rave reviews,
and then muck it up by 1) creating an unecessary controversy, and 2)
appear so uninterested in quietly fixing things? The rumor
is that state parties were given veto power, and the excluded blogs all
have a history of criticizing and holding their state parties
accountable. For example, here’s what Cotton Mouth heard:

We’ve been in contact with people who have told us that we were
considered for the credential, but were vetoed by someone in
Mississippi’s Democratic Party. We are attempting to find out who that
person is and why they felt we should not represent Mississippi.

This is obviously bull, as is the lack of responsiveness and
outright tone-deafness to this problem by Myers and company at the
convention. They’ve let this become a public controversy when it
could’ve easily been handled quietly, and things will escalate, as many
of the credentialled state bloggers are closing ranks around the
snubbed ones and are already pitching the story (successfully, as we’ll
soon see) to the traditional media.

Completely unnecessary. Luckily, it’s not too late to fix things, and the DNC should do so immediately.

View Comments

| 162 comments

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/5/20/124211/486/720/518961,

~Piss and Vinegar continues~

Bloggers Protest DNC(C) Credential Selections

20 May 2008 02:45 pm

There’s
a bit bubbling controversy regarding a backlash to the Democratic
National Convention Committee’s selection process for state bloggers.
21 bloggers representing 12 already-credentialed blogs sent a letter
yesterday to DNC Chairman Howard Dean protesting the DNCC’s selection
process that appears — in the viewpoint of the bloggers — to have
been used by state parties to silence critics.

The letter first praises Dean:

Governor Dean:
Let us begin by noting our respect for your position at the Democratic
National Committee and the reforms you have made. Your efforts to
rebuild the Democratic Party in all 50 states has reinvigorated the
political debate across the country — and strengthened not just the
party, but our country as well, in the process.

Then zooms in for the kill:

We write to you today out of concern that the same principles that have
strengthened our party are today being ignored in the state blog
credentialing process for the Democratic National Convention in Denver
this summer. As long-time progressive state bloggers, we have now
witnessed many of our well-respected colleagues from crucial states be
passed over. In many states, it appears that parochial politics and
hurt egos played a role in these decisions. These concerns run counter
to our shared goals of using programs like the state blogger pool to
“tear down the walls” in Denver — and better connect the American
people with the events on the ground. The Democratic Party endangers
its own long-term viability when it makes fealty a criterion for
inclusion. Instead, the Party should act to ensure that it includes its
ideological media allies, even if those allies are occasional tactical
or strategic critics. We, the undersigned, have been included in the
state credentials pool, despite our own history of criticism of local
Democratic actors. This speaks well to the character of our own local
parties. But while our peers in other states are being excluded, we’d
be remiss in staying silent.
We encourage you to review the selection process undertaken and reasons
given by state parties for excluding some of America’s most respected
state level progressive blogs. We believe a fair and thorough review is
necessary to ensure success for this promising experiment in shining a
light on the Democratic Convention.

Most notably, according to the bloggers, is the exclusion of Juan Melli’s Blue Jersey,
an award-winning New Jersey political blog. His blog has been critical
of the state Democratic Party; New Jersey’s blog credential was given
to PoliticsNJ.com (now
PolitickerNJ.com), an excellent, albeit non-partisan site run by the
mysterious Wally Edge and owned by the New York Observer.

The signers of this letter include Lowell Feld, a top Virginia
blogger,the writers of LeftInTheWest.com awarded State Blog of the Year
in ‘06 by IPDI; and bloggers from California, Massachusetts, Vermont,
Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, and North Dakota.

I’ll update with the DNCC’s response when I get it…

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~Piss and Vinegar continues~

The Credentialed DNC Blogger Controversy

· Posted by Bob Schwartz on May 20, 2008
· Filed Under Political Rants, South Dakota Blogs

Blogging colleague Tim over at A Progressive on the Prairie
took exception last week to the selection of a blogger from Badlands
Blue getting the South Dakota blog credentials to the DNC Convention in
Denver. Initially he assumed that lead blogger and Virginia resident
Lowell Feld, whom admittedly has rarely ever even been to South Dakota,
was chosen over other South Dakota bloggers including popular lefty Todd Epp from South Dakota Watch. That assumption turned out to be incorrect as Blue co-blogger and South Dakotan Tyler Smith was the one chosen.

While the South Dakota selection controversy has since died down
somewhat, nationally the selection of bloggers for this unique
opportunity has heated up led by several bloggers including the aforementioned Badlands Blue blogger Lowell Feld.

There’s a bit bubbling controversy regarding a backlash
to the Democratic National Convention Committee’s selection process for
state bloggers. 21 bloggers representing 12 already-credentialed blogs
sent a letter yesterday to DNC Chairman Howard Dean protesting the
DNCC’s selection process that appears — in the viewpoint of the
bloggers — to have been used by state parties to silence critics.

And

The signers of this letter include Lowell Feld, a top
Virginia blogger,the writers of LeftInTheWest.com awarded State Blog of
the Year in ‘06 by IPDI; and bloggers from California, Massachusetts,
Vermont, Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky, and North Dakota.

These bloggers are upset, as was Tim over the selection of the South
Dakota Democratic party mouthpiece Badlands Blue, that it appears that
the DNC chose bloggers that were more “friendly” to the Democrats. They
cited instances where popular blogs were bypassed that had been more
critical of the party including a popular New Jersey blog that was
excluded in favor of another blog with a mysterious author and with a
New York owner (sound familiar?).

Anyway, Howard Dean has yet to respond to the concerned bloggers but
it will be interesting to see how this new media controversy will shake
out in the weeks leading up to the convention.

UPDATE: Kos has more on this here
including rumors that the state parties had veto powers during the
selection process. So Todd, pissed off anyone in the SDDP lately?

http://politicsandhypocrisy.com/2008/05/20/the-credentialed-dnc-blogger-controversy/

~Piss and Vinegar Continues~

Anger Simmers, As Some Democratic State Bloggers Access To the National Convention Floor Limited

By Sarah Lai Stirland May 29, 2008 | 8:32:58 PM

After the Democratic National Committee announced last November that
it was expanding its blogger-credentialing program to include those
covering state and local politics, more than 400 applications poured in.

The DNC earlier this month unveiled its 55 picks. Predictably, complaints from the feisty independent blogosphere started to emerge, the most high profile of which came from the progressive blogfathers themselves, DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas and OpenLeft co-founder Matt Stoller.

The gist of the complaint is that the DNC said that it was looking
for blogs that are effective at online organizing and that are “agents
of change,” yet the applications by several high-profile state blogs
that many progressives consider to have established a solid track
record in that regard were not granted. (Stoller and others suspect
that state party officials were part of a nefarious plot to exclude
blogs that they didn’t approve of.)

Princeton University graduate student Juan Melli is the founder and
editor of Blue Jersey, which has received wide recognition for its
activism and coverage of progressive New Jersey politics. Many bloggers
were surprised that Blue Jersey wasn’t granted a state blogger
credential, which was instead awarded to PolitickerNJ. PolitickerNJ is
owned by The New York Observer.
Photo: Juan Melli

The discrepancy highlights the amorphous role of blogs and their
relationships with the officials of their parties. Are they mere
conduits and megaphones for progressive politics? Or should their
authors be considered vital party activists who deserve to be rewarded
with exclusive access for all the unpaid work that they do on behalf of
their party?

In making the announcement about the credentialed state bloggers,
DNC Chairman Howard Dean said in a YouTube video: “This is really about
tearing down the walls of the convention so that ordinary people can
see inside through the eyes of an ordinary person, and it’s also about
a two-way campaign, we think listening to voters is more important than
talking to them. We want to hear from voters through the bloggers.”

He added that there were still general blogger credentials available
to organizations that didn’t receive the state-level credential.

But many progressive bloggers feel that receiving those general
blogger credentials aren’t as good because they won’t have immediate
access to their state-level officials as they react to events unfolding
on the convention floor, which is the whole point of providing state
bloggers with such unprecedented access.

“The reason this subject is of interest is that these blogs are
about local politicians and activists, and it’s interesting to get
their immediate responses to these speeches,” says Matt Singer, founder
of Montana blog Left In The West. “Getting access only when they’re coming in and out is wildly different from being on the floor with them.”

Matt Singer, a progressive blogger in Montana, is one of 28
credentialed state bloggers who have asked the DNC to reconsider its
choice of state bloggers who will sit with their delegations at this
summer’s Democratic National Convention
Photo: Matt Singer

Singer has received a state blogger credential, but he co-authored, along with 27 other bloggers, a letter to Dean
last week. The letter praised Dean for the changes that he’s made to
the party, but then complained that many of their peers who didn’t
receive credentials had been passed over because of parochial
politics.

Some of the so-far non-credentialed state bloggers note
that they feel particularly burned because they’ve worked so hard to
raise money for and to organize politically on behalf of the members of
their state Democratic party.

“What’s amazing is that we’ve raised hundreds of thousands of
dollars for local candidates along with the other state blogs,” says
Liza Sabater, publisher of The Daily Gotham,
one of the New York state blogs that got the cold shoulder from the DNC
officials. “Why would you give (the credentials) to a blog … owned by
a journalist? You’re supposed to be supporting independent bootstrapped
bloggers, not people who are coming in with influence and access.
You’re supposed to be giving it to people who are helping you to get
candidates elected.”

Sabater, like some of the other progressive bloggers unhappy with
the credentialing process, feel that the most active New York blogs in
terms of fund-raising and organizing have been The Albany Project, The Daily Gotham and group blog Rochester Turning (the blog’s founders did not apply for credentials.)

Liza Sabater, publisher of The Daily Gotham, has members of the New
York City Council and other officials contributing to her blog, but
neither she nor her staff will be on the convention floor this summer.
Photo: Liza Sabater.

But the blog that the DNC picked was Room Eight, a group blog about New York State politics founded by Ben Smith, a high profile reporter at The Politico, and Gur Tsabar, a new media strategist at the public relations firm Ketchum.

“The kind of experience of being on the floor is not the same as
being in the blogger gallery, and this was a chance of promoting the
netroots,” says Sabater. “You can’t buy this kind of media attention,
and for them to do this to us — everyone here is absolutely furious.”

Despite her anger and irritation, she chalks the choice up to negligence rather than malicious intent.

“I honestly believe it has more to do with the people in the DNC not knowing the
New York blogosphere nor our state netroots,” she says. “I also believe that, had they done
their due diligence they would have at least picked The Albany Project as the
lead for the state blogging delegation.”

Sabater and Edna Ishayik, executive director of the New York State
Democratic Party, both say that they’re working with DNCC officials
to sort things out, but it doesn’t look as if the state blogs are going
to be granted floor access.

For his part, the DNCC’s Director of Online Communications Aaron Myers tried to address Moulitsas and other bloggers’ concerns about access on the DailyKos itself.

The Albany Project’s Founder Phillip Anderson applied for state blogger
credentials, but will probably get national credentials instead. The
New York State progressive politics blog raised around $100,000 in
January 2007 in a special election for now state senator Craig Johnson.
At the time, he was running against Republican Maureen O’Connell for a
seat representing a district in Long Island.
Photo: Phillip Anderson

“At previous Democratic Conventions and again in Denver, state delegates
spend much of their day meeting outside of the convention hall,” he wrote last week. “All
bloggers and other members of the media will be aware of state
gatherings. They’ll have the same access to provide the same level of
coverage. And “General Pool” bloggers will be able to walk around and
gather information on the convention floor via “floor passes.” Any
credentialed blogger will have unparalleled access to their state
delegation — and to this Convention as a whole. It’s that simple.”

But some of the bloggers wonder why their peers should work so hard
on their own dime if they’re not going to be given special access.

“If it’s not that cool of a program, why did they cook it up?” asks
Singer. “Why are we paying to cover this for them? We don’t have
expense accounts.”

For a quick glance at who’s in and who’s out, check out the list
below.

For a full list of accredited state blogs, see the DNCC’s page.

Who’s On The Floor

Alabama

Doc’s Political Parlor

Michigan

Blogging for Michigan

Mississippi

The Natchez Blog

New Jersey

PolitickerNJ

New York

Room Eight

Who’s Off The Floor

Alabama

Left in Alabama

Michigan

Michigan
Liberal

Mississippi

Cotton Mouth

New Jersey

Blue Jersey

New York

Albany
Project

The Daily Gotham

Update: The DNC has just released its full list of credentialed bloggers,
and all of the blogs on the above list have been credentialed as part
of the general blogger pool, as one of our readers notes.

Now comes the fun part — the bloggers, a la public radio, are now fund-raising for their trips through their PayPal buttons.

Is there anyone out there who hasn’t been credentialed who thinks they should have been?

Update II: Ben Smith writes
in to rebut Sabater’s characterization of Room Eight. The group blog is
authored by “real people with real audiences,” he says, though they’re
not “the stereotypical young activist bloggers.”

The two Room Eight bloggers who will attend the Democratic National Convention are Rock Hackshaw (an Obama supporter) and another local New Yorker who goes by the name of “Gatemouth,” (a Clinton supporter.) Both are active in local politics, Smith says.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/05/democrats-exper.html

~Piss and Vinegar continues~

DNC: Who needs a true South Dakota blogger?

So the Democratic National Committee has announced the bloggers from each state
who will get floor credentials to cover this summer’s Democratic
National Convention. And the pick from South Dakota: Badlands Blue.

Guess that shows what the DNC thinks of South Dakota bloggers or
South Dakota. As noted a while ago, Badlands Blue was actually operated
by a Democratic Party operative out of Virginia.
I haven’t been back to the blog since removing it from my blogroll a
couple months ago. But I’m guessing it’s still financed and authorized
by the state Democratic Party.

Maybe there weren’t any other applicants to be South Dakota’s
convention blogger (I sure as hell didn’t apply). Personally, I would
rather South Dakota have no blog representation. But evidently the
Democratic Party would rather take a mouthpiece blog than someone with
party affiliation who might actually dare to express independent
thought. A nice way to uphold the party’s professed — but all too
seldom practiced — principles.

Just more reinforcement for my disdain and hatred of political parties and politics as currently practiced in the U.S.

---

Voting only encourages the bastards.

This entry was written by Tim and posted on May 14, 2008 at 7:01 pm
http://prairieprogressive.com/2008/05/14/dnc-who-needs-a-true-south-dakota-blogger/

~Well Folks it does not get any more Socialist Squirrel Looney then that! I hope you enjoyed this frivolaty!

~Teddy Bear

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