Of Blogs and Spheres, Part Deux

Chris at Left-Center-Left has a response to my post on the “blog bubble” and what to do about it; Chris has theoretical and writing chops that I seem to have diluted with Schlitz in college. So go read it. (Hypocrisy warning: my hearty endorsement doesn’t mean that I necessarily have followed my own or Chris’s advice as I ought. But today’s the first day of the rest of my life… )

I’d like to clarify that I love blog bubbles; that’s why I write for a blog. They serve as emotional support groups; as I said, they provide intellectual ferment, often based on a set of shared values; they provide a way for folks to figure out how to express themselves, to get their stories straight, and to tell them.

But if you care about politics (elections + policy), that’s not enough. Certainly not yet. I’ve not yet seen a single blog that has the power to swing an election one way or another by dint of its opinion writing. (Powerline and Talking Points Memo had documentation, after all — that’s actual reporting.)

And so blogs must be only one of many ways in which one finds political community. Politics equals persuasion; if we want communities that reflect our values, we’ve got to be willing to try to persuade in a variety of ways — and indeed be willing to be persuaded. As Chris says: “People are in bubbles in the real world, too.” You bet. Are we willing to enter other folks’ bubbles, as guests?

UPDATE: By the way, speaking of entering other spheres, we are in the process of adding some conservative blogs to the blogroll. What the heck.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Done, although we’ve only got five. But hey, it is Massachusetts. See the blogroll on the left, under “Differently-Winged.”

Please share widely!

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