The blog that I found online, discussing politics is called "Public Affairs: Thoughts, links, inside information and program previews from the host of Chicagoland's premier local-access political talk show." Here is its link The blogger's name is Jeff, and he is a citizen blogger. Jeff has been a blogger since 2/2004, but this blog was started in March 7, 2007. The blog's rank on technorati is 154,427.
In Jeff's most recent blog entry is entitled " Barack Obama’s appeal as the Democratic Presidential Nominee," in which he focuses on why Senator Obama would be a good candidate for the democratic party. Jeff says that he is very appealing because he is "rooted in the African American community, but he is not limited by it." He is a presidential candidate who just happens to be black. He is very charismatic, and has very distinct opinions on issues like the war is Iraq. Since 2002 when the war started, he has had the same opinion, which may be wrong and may be right, but at least he has a firm opinion and holds his ground. He said, "“I don’t oppose war in all circumstances… What I do oppose is a dumb War.” Just the way he talks is very laid-back and nonrestrictive. To his blog, nobody has responded and there does not appear to be a place for one to write back to him, even though he does leave his email address.
The essay "Does the Internet Create Democracy" discusses the role and importance of blogs in democracy. To me, it seems pretty obvious that blogs could help democracy because of its convenience. People call post their opinions about a politician or an argument very easily on a blog page, and use a pseudonym if s/he feels uncomfortable having their name attached. In the introduction to the essay, Rheingold says, “if properly understood and defended by enough citizens, does have democratising potential in the way that alphabets and printing presses had democratising potential” (Thorton, pg. 3). This is in reference to blogging in politics, and says that if understood and used correctly, it has the potential to change the face of democracy. Blogs can also be used by the politicians to more easily outline their agendas and thoughts and campaigns. It is possible that the blog will have a great effect on politics and democracy. This is hypothesized because democracy is very weak and lagging in America today. The places where democracy used to exist, the workplace or everyday discussion and conversation, have died. Some blame this on the new forms of media, like television, because they isolate people:
Many of the old centres of the public sphere still exist, but are no longer places for political criticism or rational debate. Many theorists have commented that television and other electronic communications isolate people from one another and “substitute themselves for older spaces of politics.” (Thorton, 12)
So I believe that blogging and the internet will help out our political system by making it operate more smoothly. People have even spoken about voting online... now how easy would that be? If it could be monitored safely. But regardless, just like how the internet and modern technology has made many things more convenient and easier, the same is the case with democracy and policy.
In fact, politicians in the United States even support the use of the internet for politics. Top officials, such as President Bush support the use of the internet, believing that it will help countries like China become more democratic. Colin Powell said that, "the rise of democracy and the power of the information revolution combine to leverage each other," in support of the internet(Kalathil, 1). Also, members of the Clinton administration believe that the internet playing a substantial force in democracy is inevitable.
Citations:
1. Thornton, Alinta. Does Internet Create Democracy. October 2002
2.Kalathil, Shanthi and Boas, Taylor C. The Internet and State Control in Authoritarian Regimes: China, Cuba, and the Counterrevolution. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 2001. http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_8/kalathil/index.html
Photo Credits:
1. www.defenselink.mil
2. http://www.nndb.com/people/649/000022583/colin-powell.jpg
3. http://park.org/UnitedStates/bill-portrait.gif
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