Why Does Blogging Doom Local Candidates?
May 14, 2008 – 12:46 amWhat’s the correlation between blogging and not being elected locally?
Recently Erik Huey and Greg Woodard. I voted for Erik because of the information I learned about him on his blog, and he had the Rhino endorsement. Yet he finished fifth out of five.
A while back Joe Wilson, Bill Knight and Billy Jones. During that same election Sandy Carmany’s posts on her blog certainly contributed to her election loss after serving 16 years.
Before that Roch Smith, Jr. and David Hoggard.
Bill Burckley, Greensboro’s Karl Rove, states a candidate should never blog because they “get sloppy”. That may be the case for Carmany but I haven’t seen that in any other candidate blog.
The candidates I mention above are good people and could serve this city/county well. Does blogging play a role or might these just be coincidences?
21 Responses to “Why Does Blogging Doom Local Candidates?”
Tony, you raise some good questions.
I don’t think blogging will be sufficient as a political strategy for campaigning because only a small proportion of likely voters are reading blogs. There can be a tendency to invest a lot of time and energy into blogging on the part of candidates. This can help make the local journalistic community become more aware of the candidate and his/her positions.
But the traditional components of political campaigning still remain very necessary– fund-raising, advertising, attending and speaking at functions, door-to-door, recruiting, organizing and mobilizing volunteers, distributing literature, mailings, radio, TV. The nature of the specific race dictates the mix of strategies needed. Of course, it is helpful to have a clear vision and message for voters about where one stands and what one’s priorities would be.
It is a monumental task, and blogging can distract from it. Indeed, blogging can detract from it.
By Joe Guarino on May 14, 2008
I agree with Joe’s comments. Erik did a great job keeping his blog updated but if 98% of the voters aren’t getting the info, then it isn’t doing much for you.
If a candidate blogs, each post needs to be targeted and the message needs to be clear. One thing to keep in mind, just because your site is getting 400 visits a day, does not mean 400 different people are viewing the site. If readership does not consistently grow, a candidate should consider putting their energy elsewhere.
Also, the argument can be made that blogs keep the local Web community informed as well as members of the media. If a candidates post aren’t being picked up by local blogs or the media, one might reconsider putting the energy elsewhere.
Oh, one other important aspect to a candidate blogging. Let someone else review the post prior to hitting publish!
Ryan Shell
By Ryan on May 14, 2008
I think blogging is mistaken for a low cost way to get your message out without having to raise money and go the traditional route in campaigning to get name recognition. Blogging isn’t as widely read as proponents think IMO. It can be a supplement to a conventional campaign. I think I just reiterated Ryan’s post, but I think that’s important to a candidate to understand that his message is getting to a very limited audience via blogs. Sorry Ed Cone.
By Roger Greene on May 14, 2008
Tony and Joe.. Any new information humans acquire is a threat to the knowledge they already possess. When facts are presented that conflict with their model of how the world works, they destroy the facts before doing alterations on the model. This is reinforced by religious and political cults using threats of eternal punishment, excommnication, stoning, burning and public humiliation of any apostate, backslider, protestant, infidel, libertarian, freethinker or any enlightened soul who simply changes their mind or chooses another god. The priority of all candidates is to get elected, achieve power and use the power to promote legalized plunder on someone…by innocently appealing to the world views of the minority who participate. Exposing this herding behavior is no monumental task. However, finding the chromosome which enables legalized plunder appears to be.- Beelzebubbus Advocatus Diaboli
By Beelzebubba on May 14, 2008
Tony, I would call on a panel of the leading experts, not the following experts, to determine if the correlation was positive, negative, noncorrelative or spurious correlation. This is critical as Hillary, the Al Sharpton of white people, was elected queen of West Virginia while denying ever having sex with her father or brother and retaining at least 90% dentition. This event skews correlative data nationwide and threatens the endeavors of all data miners. This inquiry has “Nobel Prize” written all over it.
By chuck atkinson on May 14, 2008
Tony, I would remove a panel, place Chuckie in the wall, and replace the panel.
By Robin Leskovitch on May 14, 2008
Chuck: You just got on my last nerve. Next time I see you parked in the handicappped spot at the liquor store I’m telling the Homeyland Security guys inside. You can buy the stuff you drink at Aldi’s. Like Ryan says..if you wanna bash Hillary, start your own site.
By Kuntisha Tonkins-Alston on May 14, 2008
No apologies necessary, Roger — I agree completely, and make the same point frequently in talks and my written work.
Blogs are a great way to get information out, but blogs alone will not do the job. The traditional ground game still matters, mass media still matters, etc. Blogs (and social nets, etc) can be very useful as catalysts and organizing tools in those areas, but they are no substitute for a full-fledged campaign.
One reason blogging candidates lag at the polls is that blogs are often used by underdogs — people who need any advantage they can find.
That said, I think Joe Wilson might not have made it past the primary in his city council race without a blog (and the publicity it got him in the N&R). But that wasn’t going to overcome Matheny’s advantages in $$ and political connections.
I think blogging made a big difference in Larry Kissell’s near-upset of Robin Hayes in NC8 last time around — not so much the candidate’s own blogging, but the network of supporters built around the Blue NC site.
I can’t say I’ve seen a local candidate use blogging to full effect yet. Even so, I don’t expect magic as people get better at it. A blog, understood as a multi-media platform that is part of a coherent larger strategy, can be a very useful thing for a candidate or campaign. But it’s not going to win an election all by itself.
By Ed Cone on May 14, 2008
Ed, I completely agree with your statement about Joe Wilson.
However, recently when I made that statement speaking at a candidates forum he appeared to disagree.
Thanks for all of the above comments.
I still think blogging for a candidate is a good option. If for no other reason it allows access of your own words to the public without any likelihood of a translation error in the media.
Chuck, your assessment of the Clinton victory in WV is, to say the least, interesting.
By Tony Wilkins on May 14, 2008
Chuck, You goofed again. BB is a West (By God!) Virginian! And contrary to popular opinion we wear shoes, do not make a habit of sleeping with relatives and have the most colleges and universities per capita of any other state with 21 four year and 12 two year schools. Unfortunately W.Va. has never had the type of industries to retain their graduates so only 16% of the population have college degrees.
Kennedy gave West Virginia it’s reputation as being the Heart of Appalachia when he campaigned in West Virginia. He visited West Liberty State College while I was enrolled there. I was surprised at how short he was.
Anyhow, the truly backward and poverty areas of Appalachia are to be found in North Carolina and Georgia. BB
By Brenda Bowers on May 14, 2008
Brenda, mea culpa…the goof was directed at the Hillerati Bellicosi, not the broad-minded, well-shod 16% of the people in W(by god)Va.. I imprudently prattled in the wrong direction to make a point with a blunt instrument. For past provocations, I would also like to apologize to the citizens of Denton(city without a liquor store or unregistered sex offender), the hyphenates from the city of High Point(city without a hyphen) and the declasse proles from below the bridge on Groometown Road,(not even a town with ever fewer Groomes). Like the cock in a version of the Peter/Jesus myth, you have crowed me to repentance. More shame is sure to follow.
By chuck atkinson on May 14, 2008
Chuck: Shame!
Brenda: Way to crow.
By Beelzebubba on May 14, 2008
Chuck, May the shame of a brazillion liberals infest your robe, hood and TubeRose snuff juice covered overalls.
By Kuntisha Tonkins-Alston on May 14, 2008
Chuckie, how dare you cast such at West bg Virginia? It has a prominemt citizen. Even though Bob Denver is gone, it has Bobby Byrd. And as long as that is so, and he can control committees, West bg Virginia may not have the pride of some impoverished areas, but will not be the poorest. Remember, Chuckie, “the road to Salvation goes nowhere”.
By Robin Leskovitch on May 14, 2008
Don’t count me among the blogging losers, Tony, I lost before I started blogging.
By Roch101 on May 14, 2008
Correction noted Roch.
By Tony Wilkins on May 15, 2008
LOL LOL I love pulling Chuck’s leg just to see what his retort will be. I didn’t expect to be regaled with nonsense from three more jokers.
I forgive you Chuck Darlin’. Just watch it from here on out. At 67 I have lived in a lot of places, done a lot of things, made a lot of friends and the opposite, so you just can’t tell when you might trespass again. I wouldn’t want you to use up your share of grace. BB
By Brenda Bowers on May 15, 2008
“However, recently when I made that statement speaking at a candidates forum he appeared to disagree.”
And for the record, what was Mr. Wilson’s opinion regarding how he made it out of the primary, and how he fared as well as he did against Zack “The Money Just Fell Out Of The Sky” Matheny?
By bubba on May 15, 2008
Jokers, A seminary student native to W bg Va beseeched the Almighty as to the indignities directed down home. Then She rejoined, not in prose, and a blatant Brooklyn brogue: “Why did I give the fingah toward West Vagingah , and then dub the fingah the “Byrd”?…..Because of My humor and to silence the rumor-of the virtue of polishing a turd.”
By Bloggah Pleeze on May 16, 2008
Hey Bubba, I think Joe Wilson did it with hard work and hand shakes… oh, and 3 new pair of shoes now discarded for obvious reasons. Blogging didn’t hurt him either.
By not joe wilson on May 16, 2008