Bloggasm

Simon Owens: As a liberal blogger, what conservative bloggers do you think create the most spin? If you had to pick a conservative blogger as a worthy adversary, who would it be?

Demagogue: I am not all the familiar with the conservative blogosphere, though I do read a few. As such, I don’t know which blogs “create the most spin,” though I’d be inclined to say that Michelle Malkin would probably be a front-runner, given her standing among conservative coupled with her apparent disregard for the truth.

Our biggest “adversary” would probably be Southern Appeal. They represent everything we at Demagogue oppose and vice versa, but we have managed to forge a respectful relationship with one another despite the fact that they are all right-wing religious nuts.

Simon Owens: Many political bloggers and pundits focus more on mud slinging and campaign tactics than arguing about the actual policy issues themselves. Why do you think this is? Don’t you think they can reach more voters by appealing to them through policy changes?

Demagogue: People who read and write blogs are, for the most part, not looking for substantive policy discussions for the simple reason that such discussions are boring. Mud slinging and pointing out that those on the other side are idiots is much more enjoyable. I don’t think you are going to reach voters by having discussions of policy issues, because blog readers are pre-selected, in that the people reading blogs are reading specific blogs because they have already made up their minds and are looking to see their ideology validated. If people are looking for in-depth discussions of policy issues, they can usually get those from candidates’ websites.

Simon Owens: Analysts say that more and more people are drifting away from the mainstream media in order to find their news. Do you think that bloggers are to blame for this at all?

Demagogue: Many bloggers seem to exist solely to criticize the media - but blogs came into existence, in part, because those writing them were unhappy with the media coverage they were seeing. The mainstream media’s quest for “objectvity” rather than “truth” is, ironically, undermining the credibility they are trying so desperately to preserve. But of course, “truth” in politics is entirely subjective, so the media is in a no-win situation. But I don’t think bloggers are to blame for people drifiting away from the media, I think blogs are a result of a general unhappiness with the media.

Simon Owens: What are the five blogs everyone should be reading (besides your own)?

Demagogue: My recommendations are mostly partisan, but I think The Carpetbagger Report, Washington Monthly, and TAPPED are excellent. And for conservatives, I’d recommend “The Corner” because they seem to very well represent the conservative views and agenda.

I’d also recommend The Coalition for Darfur, which I run, because I think it is an important issue that warrants attention.

You can find Demagogue over here.