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Monday, November 3, 2008

What Next for the Election Bloggers?

posted by on November 3 at 9:25 AM

This is the first presidential election that The Stranger, or anyone else, has covered since blogs became the medium of choice for political junkies. Yes, blogs existed in 2004. (Though Slog didn’t.) But back then, in those far-gone days of Kerry v. Bush, blogging was hardly the agenda-setting force that it is now and American politics certainly wasn’t as obsessed with online information-sharing as it is today.

So I’ve been interested to read a couple of recent stories that look at what certain popular bloggers are going to do once the election and its attendant traffic spikes are over. Short answer: Pretty much the same thing they’re doing now, with perhaps a much-needed rest first.

Ben Smith:

I’ve been doing this since Politico launched in January of 2007, and it’s so metabolic at this point I’m not sure I can really unplug. Also, I’m very boring. I have vague aspirations of spiriting my two kids (3 and 5) off to some beach and crawling around with them for a week.

Markos Moulitsas:

I’m beat, and will take it easy — by working “normal” eight-hour workdays. I may even start paying attention to my kids again. But while I may be able to scale back from sixteen-hour workdays, the election won’t be the culmination of our efforts, just a waypoint. We have a big year ahead of us.

Andrew Romano:

Andrew Romano came to Newsweek to do long feature pieces but was conscripted as a blogger. “I’m not one of these crazy political junkies,” he told me after another long blogging shift, in which he struggled not to say, “Obama is winning today, too.” “It’s not my life. It’s just a story I was interested in. For a long time I was feeling like I’m looking forward to this being over and going back to writing long-form journalism as opposed to writing multiple stories every day.” But then a funny thing happened. His blog, long buried on Newsweek’s website, started drawing nearly four million hits a month, making Romano the site’s most-read author. “It’s kind of like, this is who I am now, so the idea of the campaign being over and not doing a politics blog is a little bit like, who am I after this election?”

And me?

Well, I have no illusions about being as popular, or as trail weary, as any of the above bloggers. But I do identify with parts of their answers. I’m looking forward to being allowed to take a vacation again. I’m looking forward to writing features that aren’t about politics. And I’m looking forward to the bloggy continuation of this huge political story, which won’t end on Nov. 4, and in many ways only gets more interesting then.

RSS icon Comments

1

I think the big question is... what is Nate Silver going to do?

Posted by demo kid | November 3, 2008 9:38 AM
2

OF COURSE ALL THE BLOGGERS and Slog and commenters are going to keep on blogging and commenting.

WHEN THE ELECTION IS WON Obama & us still need to pass all this shit.

To do that all activists netroots progressives everyone using internet for blogging and e mailing....the work has just begun.

It's really rather distressing to constantly hear these thiings written that assume that upon winning an election everything will change or not change like that's the be all and end all day.

It's a huge step but there's more to come.

PLEASE start acting like you realize it.

You DO realize it don't you?

Not only should blogging and slogging and e mailing continue, but hopefully OBama's tres excellent advisers will move into the White House and have a huge WHITE HOUSE E MAIL LIST of what 10 million? 40 million? On which Pres. Obamaa will sned us weekly video about how to make change happen in various legislative and other struggles.

THINGS DON'T STOP ON TUESDAY THEY ONLY START.

Get a freaking clue.

Posted by PC | November 3, 2008 9:38 AM
3

I hope no one wastes another minute blogging about what bloggers are going to do after the election.

What a stupid post.

Posted by AW | November 3, 2008 9:45 AM
4

I have been loathe to criticize PC too much, since I think his/her heart is in the right place (and because, it's pretty easy to recognize a PC post and immediately scroll past). But for fuck's sake. Shut the fuck up. Your posts have gotten exponentially more irritating the closer we get to election day. Quit being so fucking sanctimonious. Jesus.

Posted by Julie in Chicago | November 3, 2008 9:48 AM
5

Eli, your coverage has consistently been some of my favorite this campaign. Thank you for all the time, effort, energy, and words.

Let's do this shit.

Posted by kerri harrop | November 3, 2008 9:52 AM
6

@5, agree 100%. I don't understand any reason to jump down Eli's throat other than the juvenile exercise of some kind of jealousy or puerile trollery.

@2, Did you even read Eli's post? When Eli writes, "And I’m looking forward to the bloggy continuation of this huge political story, which won’t end on Nov. 4, and in many ways only gets more interesting then," don't you think he's addressing your point that the story doesn't end on Nov 4?

@3, given that blogs are perhaps THE media phenomenon of this election -- and hey, even you're participating! -- the post is entirely legitimate and for those of us who wonder about the mechanics of how the media works, how bloggers switch gears, remain relevant, continue to drive traffic, etc., is absolutely germane.

Jeez...

Posted by Jubilation T. Cornball | November 3, 2008 10:12 AM
7

er, I'm pretty sure that there were plenty of blogs covering the 2004 election (remember, the one with DailyKos, MoveOn, Talking Points Memo, Electablog, Wonkette, ...). Maybe they weren't as well-funded, but they were definitely there and many were credentialed at the conventions.

Posted by josh | November 3, 2008 10:14 AM
8

@6 That's actually the reason that I thought Eli's question was so ridiculous.

Would you ask the New York Times what all their political writers are going to do after the election? Politics will exist forever. Just because there is a huge event in its history right now which has bolstered the medium, is no indication that political blogs will become obsolete following the event, it just means they will write about something else.

Also, I didn't mean my original comment to sound so bitchy. Sorry, Eli.

Posted by AW | November 3, 2008 10:22 AM
9

"blogging was hardly the agenda-setting force that it is now"

What? Blogging is hardly an agenda-setting force now, either. Didn't you write a piece a few months ago about "Obama skips big netroots conference and nobody cares"?

Posted by David | November 3, 2008 10:48 AM
10

@1 I'm guessing he'll go back to baseball.

Posted by Mike in Renton | November 3, 2008 11:22 AM
11

Yep, after the election it just gets more interesting.

Like, which cabinet positions Obama will give to Jesse Jackson, All Sharpton, and Jeremiah Wright? How soon will he socialize medicine? When will he begin forcing all American children to attend Muslim madrassas? And don't forget about the redistribution of wealth.

Inquiring minds want to know.

/sarcasm

Posted by Reverse Polarity | November 3, 2008 11:22 AM
12

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Posted by emo boy | November 4, 2008 4:01 AM
13

What we see tonight in the streets of seattle and in the streets of citites and towns across America is peoples suprised reaction to hope. Joy that things might finally start to get better. It's an alien feeling. Actual hope? Hope that the government that has claimed to represent the will of the people, may really try and fulfill that promise. It's a feeling that I, and i imagine most people in our nation, are unfamiliar with. And if it was just hope alone, hope without the realization of the work that is ahead of us, I wouldn't feel so suprised, but I see understanding in the peoples eyes.. Understanding that to do all that needs doing will call for work from everyone. I also see that we as american citizens are ready and willing to do the work necisary to create the positive change we need. Maybe that's why i have this new feeling. Hope.. Maybe it's the dawn of a new day. A day awakened to the light of hope for a better world. A newly found hope for our future in these United Sates of America. Hopefully.....

Posted by chris | November 4, 2008 11:55 PM
14

What we see tonight in the streets of seattle and in the streets of citites and towns across America is peoples suprised reaction to hope. Joy that things might finally start to get better. It's an alien feeling. Actual hope? Hope that the government that has claimed to represent the will of the people, may really try and fulfill that promise. It's a feeling that I, and i imagine most people in our nation, are unfamiliar with. And if it was just hope alone, hope without the realization of the work that is ahead of us, I wouldn't feel so suprised, but I see understanding in the peoples eyes.. Understanding that to do all that needs doing will call for work from everyone. I also see that we as american citizens are ready and willing to do the work necisary to create the positive change we need. Maybe that's why i have this new feeling. Hope.. Maybe it's the dawn of a new day. A day awakened to the light of hope for a better world. A newly found hope for our future in these United Sates of America. Well, hopefully it is.....

Posted by chris | November 5, 2008 12:11 AM

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