I Don't Understand
Governor Pawlenty met with local bloggers, and neither Scooter nor I were invited. (The in-laws are in town, so I'd have had to turn Timmy down anyway.) The meeting was with the "largely conservative Northern Alliance group of bloggers and radio commentators".Excuse me? Largely conservative? Conservatism is their middle name! It's why they were formed, it defines who they are. Why is the Strib, of all newspapers, masking that fact?
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said the governor extended the invitation to the group because of an interest in the influence of what has been billed as the landscape of "new media," such as Internet chat rooms and political Web logs, also called blogs. Between 30 and 35 people attended.
"Radio stations and Web-based journalists and editorialists don't have the same opportunity to be around the Capitol and report on what's going on, so it's a chance for the governor to hear from them," McClung said. "We think bloggers are a legitimate source of news and information."
McClung said those invited were culled from groups associated with the local conservative blog Powerline, which received acclaim for its role criticizing CBS' now-debunked report on memos related to President Bush's National Guard service. McClung said there was no intent to exclude local bloggers who might be critical of Pawlenty or have more left-leaning or progressive points of view.
What incredible bullshit. They deliberately invited Northern Alliance bloggers only, ensuring a conservative-only list. They hand-picked bloggers associated with Powerline, insuring they get the most visible, most power-hungry, most aggressively right-wing bunch available. And yet, they claim "there was no intent to exclude ... left-leaning or progressive points of view"? What are they smoking in the Governor's mansion? And why does the Strib repeat the blatant lies without calling them on it?
posted by MeanMrMustard @ 6:38 AM
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