Convention blogging — do we really need it? (No.)

So much fuss has been made out of bloggers covering the Democratic convention right alongside the “real journalists,” but what has their presence there yielded? I would have to say very little.

Ever since he arrived in Boston, Josh Marshall’s blogging has gone straight downhill, as has Atrios’ — they are only interesting when they stop covering the convention and get back to what they do best, i.e., punditizing about what’s going on in the media. When they try to be the media it falls flat. Pandagon’s doing a lot better, maybe because they are younger and less jaded and their energy is contagious. But all in all, this experiment tells me that sending bloggers into the front lines is a not-so-inspiring failure. I would much rather read Marshall’s analysis of the speeches and the news about them as opposed to how he’s trying to feel his way around the huge convention hall. I’d rather get their take on events as opposed to who went with them to dinner and what famous reporters they saw on the lunch line.

I found one “convention blog,” however, that stands out for originality and wit. I’m not sure if he’s really at the convention or not, but it doesn’t matter — this is some of the most original and humorous blogging I’ve ever seen. Whatever you do, be sure to check it out. I’ll take this over the monotonous recitations of the other convention bloggers anytime. A most precious sample:

I am touchin Atrios’s laptop right now!

Well here we are at the Democratic National Convention! I woulda blogged about the speeches last night but we had a slight medical mishap as I almost got trampled by Sidney Blumenthal while tryin to touch the hem of Bill Clinton’s garment. I could not help it he is just too beautiful!

Just five minutes ago I got to see THE Newsweek’s Howard Fineman! He is even shorter an pastier an more pathologically blase about the status of American democracy in real life! I tried to engage him in insightful commentary but I was overcome by girlish squealin and mobbed him along with some of the understaff of the New Republic. I came back with two teeth and an eyebrow!

But none a that matters right now cause I AM TYPIN ON ATRIOS’S LAPTOP RIGHT NOW. He musta left it out or somethin cause here I am an he even left his Blogger window open I can totally post to his blog an everythin!

Wooooooo I’m Atrios blah blah blah, phony wars are bad, blah blah blah, the media is corrupt an stupid blah blah blah

aaaaaa here he comes runawayrunaway

It gets even funnier than that.

Update: John Dvorak, the in-house curmudgeon at CBS Marketwatch, has this to say about the convention bloggers:

Many of these posts are vapid observations combined with simple Kerry boosterism or knee-jerk Limbaugh-Republicanist complaints.

Some are simply an undecipherable mess. Hopefully a few professionals will come in and publish some thoughtful pieces before the exercise is over, but this looks laughable thus far.

Heh.

The Discussion: 11 Comments

Navel gazing and mental masturbation.

‘Nuff said.

July 28, 2004 @ 9:18 am | Comment

Yes, but in a sense that’s what blogging is, no?

Did you visit the blog I recommended in the post? It’s in a whole different category. It’s actually funny, and a bit ingenious.

July 28, 2004 @ 9:29 am | Comment

Fafblog is, in a sentence, the funniest website I have seen all year. Their earlier posts are funnier than their most recent ones, though.

The best commentary about the convention I have read recently is Dave Winer’s Scripting News. It is not really a political blog, but I am fine with that, since in between C-Span on downstairs and the blogs I am reading upstairs, the house seems like it is *at* the convention.

July 28, 2004 @ 2:35 pm | Comment

That was hilarious. Thank you.

I like how they’re bringing high school back into the blogging world. 🙂

July 28, 2004 @ 4:47 pm | Comment

I had to read something from Dvorak again? ewwww… I feel dirty. Worst tech pundit EVER.

July 28, 2004 @ 6:34 pm | Comment

Tom, that may be — but he has been the king of tech pundits since the 80s and he has a huge following, not to mention influence. And he can be scathingly funny. (I’ve met him several times and his bark is a lot worse than his bite.)

July 28, 2004 @ 6:49 pm | Comment

You’ve never seen Fafblog before? If I’m in the mood, it hits me like good Monty Python, or Firesign Theater.

July 28, 2004 @ 7:42 pm | Comment

Somehow I missed it until today. Now I know what God and man is. I blogrolled it five minutes after stumbling onto it.

July 28, 2004 @ 7:45 pm | Comment

Influence. I guess Apple has been dead for years.

Dvorak is the king in the same vein as Instapuppy is the king. Neither is very accurate, yet somehow maintain a dedicated following and people raving about how great they are.

July 29, 2004 @ 5:29 am | Comment

Tom, I think you’ve got it just about right.

July 29, 2004 @ 8:19 am | Comment

Jeff may have hit it right. Imagine the Python crew at the convention!!! The mind boggles.

Great link Richard. It will go into my Favorties.

July 29, 2004 @ 2:02 pm | Comment

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