MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Insta-Power blogging

• Posted by Beth on February 16th, 2005 filed in General    

Dan of Riehl World View had a post yesterday about the myth of the right-wing blog “lynch mob” that probably speaks to MOST of us right-wing bloggers. This is my response, only slightly edited from the comments there:

Dan, you must have been reading my mind when you wrote this one.

The notion of a vast and effective blogging community is highly over-rated and more a myth of the MSM than it is a reality. And at least two notable and well-publicized blogs, Powerline and Instapundit, are only somewhat more in touch with the general blogging world than is the MSM. In some cases the distance is unavoidable but it also contains at least some element of choice, a conscious sacrifice of close connection for the sake of size and convenience. Contrasted with the picture the MSM paints of conservative bloggers as a connected pack referenced through the above and perhaps a few others, the two pictures don’t jibe. One could argue that there is presently more elitism by default in the blogging community today than exists in the MSM itself.

[It gets even better. Go read it.]

Yesterday I fumed all day about how there are dozens of us small to mid-size bloggers and ONE biggie (La Shawn Barber) all staying on message with the Terri Schiavo blogburst, with little to no help from those who direct the farkin’ traffic. While the biggies are busy patting themselves on the back for their success in taking down Eason Jordan (they weren’t the ONLY voices, BTW) and fighting with the moonbats over stupid shi’ite like Jeff Gannon, of all things, we smaller bloggers are actually trying to effect POSITIVE change–trying to save a life, ferchrissake.

I’ve emailed all the big bloggers (whose content is relevant to our purpose, that is) and the only response I’ve gotten so far is from La Shawn Barber, who is a rare exception to what you’ve said, despite her enormous success. She knows what blogging is about and knows that we all have something to say. Other than that, David Limbaugh–a “real” media person of sorts, not even a “real” blogger–was the only other big voice to bother responding or acting, and he answered my email within FIVE MINUTES. Maybe the others don’t agree with our cause, and that’s fine. But I SERIOUSLY doubt it in some of their cases.

I’ve said for a long time now that some of the top blogs aren’t very different from the MSM themselves. Frankly, you’re right about Powerline. They’re WAY too detached. Even Glenn Reynolds tosses the little guys a link, which you will never see from Powerline. I personally don’t care if they link to me, but the lack of linking and comments and response to emails from Powerline is indicative of their aloofness (I’ll refrain from saying “elitism”). Don’t misunderstand me though; they’re not the only ones guilty of this.

You are RIGHT on target. There’s no mob of right-wing bloggers; there’s a very exclusive cabal of a few, with the rest of us chirping from the sidelines. But what they don’t have that WE do is the friendships we develop with our readers and peers. IMHO, we’re the real winners, since none of us (well, except a few, that is) are making a living from blogging. They get their names in the mainstream media, but we get friends and allies.

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Now I know some will accuse me of whining or whatever bullshi’ite you want to say. I don’t care. If you actually read this blog, you already know that. I’m not a whiner, but I will BITCH when something needs to be done and those who can help won’t do so–or even listen.