Howard Dean's Blogger Surprise

Blogging seems the most appropriate way with which to comment on Howard Dean’s surprise appearance at a Monday morning breakfast of … bloggers. The former Vermont governor, who received two standing ovations from at least two dozen DNC-credentialed blogggers, took partial credit for igniting the current attention to political blogs with his campaign’s Dean for America Web site. All campaigns – John Kerry’s, George Bush’s – have launched blogs of their own. But “what blogs are doing is not just communicating, it is about creating a community; that is the one thing we did in the Dean campaign that has not been copied by any of the other campaigns.” He also said that the talk-back nature of the medium would, over the next 25 years, threaten threat to the mainstream media. Who? “The Rupert Murdochs, CNNs, NBCs and the New York Timeses of the world. Because they are out of business.”

Howard Dean striding to the podium.



Bloggers with a front-row seat.