While we seldom agree on politics, Chris Bowers is one of the more thoughtful essayists and shrewdest analysts on the blogosphere out there. Sometimes, though, he swings and misses. Case in point:
By speaking directly to the members of the electorate who are the most politically active and intense consumers of news, we can wield a lot of influence while simultaneously not playing the idiotic games of “gotcha” and faux outrage that have been used to try and sway low-information voters for the past several decades (no wonder low-information voters are dismissive of politics, considering how stupid people often assume they are).
There are a lot of blogs out there, including MyDD (and I hope OTB), that eschew “gotcha” and faux outrage. For the most part, though, those techniques are the sine qua non of blogging. Take a look at the most highly trafficked political blogs. I think you’ll find that those which are primarily thoughtful, rational discussions of the issues are greatly outnumbered by the hotbeds of outrage and vitriol.
