Democrats and the blogosphere

Republicans like to view Democrats as the party of MoveOn.org -- a lumping of leftists from George Soros to Howard Dean and the blogosphere.

Although the fundraising and noise from this umbrella of progressives is noticeable, it has yet to post any real election victory in Nevada or anywhere else.

Of course there was Ned Lamont's win in the Connecticut Senate primary two years ago in the effort to unseat Democratic incumbent Joe Lieberman. Yet it did not result in a Sen. Lamont.

In New York Times reporter Matt Bai's book "The Argument: Billionaires, Bloggers and the Battle to Remake Democratic Politics," it's readily clear the Internet movement that fueled Dean's 2004 candidacy still hasn't gone beyond the screaming.

"If (MoveOn) had taken over the party, there wouldn't have been an (Iraq) funding bill," said Hugh Jackson, a local blogger and founder of lasvegasgleaner.com. "If they had taken over the party, then Dennis Kucinich's single-payer health care for all would be on an agenda."

Bai has followed liberal grass-roots organizations for several years, from the $30 million Soros plunked down trying to defeat George Bush in 2004, to the inaugural YearlyKos convention last year at the Riviera. One of his most consistent themes is that these progressives know they don't like Bush in particular and Republicans in general. Beyond that, though, there's as much vitriol for Bill Clinton, centrist Democrats and anyone who dares support a candidate who could win a general election.

The major impact of the blogosphere so far has been to steer the party away from the center, a position from which Democrats actually won two presidential elections (not to mention the South).

One of the most telling passages depicts a scene in which an operative managing a progressive campaign fund has a conference call with staffers of Democratic leaders and organizations. It's the fall of 2005, and the operative, Rob Stein, is hoping to clarify his group's mission for the pile of cash donated by Soros and other progressive benefactors.

Several staff members request money to defend Democratic incumbents in the 2006 cycle.

"I understand the need for a long-term infrastructure," Nevada Sen. Harry Reid's chief of staff, Susan McCue, is quoted as saying. "But I have races I'm worried about right now, in 2006."

"I can see how that would make sense from your narrow perspective," Stein replied, according to Bai's book.

McCue replied: "I'm not getting anything out of this call," and hung up.

If MoveOn and the blogosphere were "organized" beyond getting people together for a house party, they'd actually have the type of netroots that could eventually become a core constituency of the Democratic Party. Jackson, for example, doesn't consider himself part of the netroots because his site won't link to fundraising solicitations (unless you buy an ad).

Myrna the Minx, the blogger and founder of Reno and Its Discontents (www.renodiscontents.com), says she also doesn't fit neatly into netroots. "I don't have a membership card and I don't belong to MoveOn.org, for instance," Myrna said.

A majority of her site's readers describe themselves as liberal, and Myrna said she straddles a line between new progressive politics and the Democratic establishment.

She does think the blogosphere is an active player in both national and Nevada Democratic politics, citing the cancellation of the Fox News debate earlier this year as "a good example of what can happen when local bloggers support the same issue the national netroots are working on."

Of course, the pressure from MoveOn.org, which led presidential candidates to pull out of the scheduled debate in Nevada, wasn't supported by Reid and the local Democratic Party. And at the end of the day, the campaign was more about opposing "centrists" who believe the party needs to reach out with its message.

Neither Myrna, who blogs anonymously from Reno, nor Jackson, has been courted by any of the presidential campaigns in Nevada for endorsements. The campaigns are in fairly regular contact with Jackson, and he's interviewed Barack Obama and John Edwards, thanks in no small part to the fact that he shows up everywhere the "established" media does.

Eventually, the blogosphere will deliver votes in an election. And then what? Do they actually join the establishment they rail against so readily?

During the MoveOn flap over the Fox News debate, it was estimated the organization had 10,000 members in Nevada. The debate flap probably helped them reach more and raise more. MoveOn often grows thanks to an issue that runs counter to the party's agenda. So to be the party of MoveOn isn't exactly a plus.

Erin Neff's column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at (702) 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.