Blog Regionalization: MSM is Paying Attention in Philly

by DanielUA, Wed May 11, 2005 at 08:23:36 PM EST

I'm not just promoting this because it is Philadelphia related and I like Seth Williams. Rather, I think this is an excellent example of how local progressive bloggers can engage in collective action. We need more of it--Chris

Over the past few months and weeks, Philly bloggers have independently started doing what Bob Brigham discussed earlier, on his diary on BlogPac: regionalizing.  Given that this is a project that, hopefully, bloggers around the Country are signing up for, I wanted to share what us amatuers are doing in Philly.

And now, the mainstream media is really starting to pay attention. In today's Philadelphia Inquirer, PA's biggest paper by far, there was an extensive story on Seth Williams, insurgent, reform minded, Democratic candidate for DA, and his relationship with a wide variety of Philly bloggers.

Insurgent district attorney candidate Seth Williams can't afford TV or radio ads, but at least he has Rowhouse Logic, Above Average Jane, and Young Philly Politics.

They are three of the local Internet Web logs (blogs) that have taken up Williams' cause in the May 17 Philadelphia Democratic primary with a vengeance, generating volunteers, money and buzz for his campaign.

Much more after the flip...

As we started, our effort was noticed by national bloggers, like Tim and Bob at Swing State Project, and we were joined by a big gun or two, such as Philly local Chris , right here on MyDD.  As each coordinated, Philly blogger day of action was carried out (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3) more and more people noticed.  First, the Daily News put us in an insert in an bigger article about the race, and then, today, above the fold in the region section, we have today's article.

On a personal note, this whole experience has been incredibly gratifying.  Through the wonderful site Philly Future, we have a place to unite, and have become aware of how many of us there are who deeply care about reforming the Democratic party, and supporting dynamic candidates like Seth.  He is a candidate who not only symbolizes everything we want in candidates (good personal story, experience, real ideas for reform, progressive policies), but he genuinely appreciates what we are doing.  For example, in one of this thank you notes, Williams said:

I am excited that my campaign is taking on such a life of its own. When you first decide to run for office, you dream that the issues and passions that motivate you will resonate with others. It is exhilarating to know that my ideas about how to restructure the DA's office are also important to so many of you.
 

Reporters are calling us, former assistant DA's are writing us letters of appreciation, our actions have been called "oxygen" for a race that has been oft-ignored, and the candidate himself understands fundamentally that the interaction between the netroots and a campaign has to be two-ways.  How so?  For example, last Saturday, I spent the morning at our local ABC news studio, being a first-hand witness to the only televised debate, taped on Saturday to air on Sunday.  In fact, due to the fact that the campaign let us in, we scooped every single MSM source, with a diary on the debate on Saturday afternoon.  And, on election night, a few of us will be live-blogging from campaign HQ.  Absent their own blog, they represent everything we want from a campaign;  they friggin get it.

Back to the Inq. article, which quotes Tim, myself, and others:

"A lot of national campaigns see the Internet as a glorified ATM machine," said Tim Tagaris, the consultant working to set up Chuck Pennacchio's 2006 U.S. Senate campaign in Pennsylvania. "Regionalization is going to be the next wave," Tagaris said.

He also has written extensively about the Philadelphia phenomenon on his national blog, Swing State Project. Tagaris said that local blogs, with their small audiences, have the same organizing potential in cyberspace as the neighborhood networks that President Bush's reelection campaign put together to win support in small towns and rural areas.

"It's that same peer-to-peer strategy, but online," Tagaris said. "Millions of people have blogs, but they are read for the most part by neighbors, friends, coworkers and family. You are able to influence a few people at a time."

Blogs can have more power locally because those who write them tend to be influential, active and have extensive social networks in their communities, said Julie Barko Germany, deputy director of the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet at George Washington University. "People are just starting to discover the possibilities," Barko Germany said.

And they quote some dude with way too long a last name, on why Seth is such a hit:

"He's exactly the kind of candidate Philadelphia needed," said Urevick-Ackelsberg, a policy analyst for a nonprofit organization. "There's a strong desire for some kind of reform movement in a political culture that is so insular and refuses to change."

Friday, some of us are going off-line, to hold a happy hour/final weekend kickoff for the candidate, in hopes of infusing  of meeting each other in person, having a beer with a future leader of Philadelphia, and infusing the campaign with a few small dollar donations to help move the ground game along on election day.  that too will be blogged, and in fact may be podcasted, which would have to be another first.

Philadelphia, a city with so many progressive people, yet with so few progressive leaders, is exactly the place where in the long run, local blogs, acting together, may be able to make a huge difference.

If you are in Philly, and want to get involved, please do so, and check out the happy hour on Friday.  If you are out of Philly, and want to help out, you can volunteer or donate at Seth4DA.com.



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