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Balz writes like he fell off a turnip truck. His main point is buried among sentences and paragraphs indicating schoolboy wonder at the next big thing.
....the arrival of the blogosphere as a political force has produced tensions within the Democratic coalition, including battles with party centrists over the direction of the party, which have led to questions about whether the often-angry rhetoric and uncompromising positions of the bloggers will drive the party too far left and endanger its chances of winning national elections.
Such as is happening in Connecticut.
Tom Mattzie, Washington director of MoveOn.org, called the struggle inside the Democratic Party a "clash of civilizations" between an old order and a new order, but he also discounted those who view it purely in ideological terms. His group, he said, had polled the net-roots activist community. "What they want is not an ideological litmus test," he said. "They want Democrats to stand up and fight. They don't want Neville Chamberlain Democrats; they want Muhammad Ali Democrats."
That, said many of those in attendance, explains the contempt with which net-roots activists hold Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), whom they see as having gone out of his way to support Bush and to criticize Democrats on the Iraq war and other issues. A popular button here showed Bush and Lieberman in near-embrace with the words "The Kiss," and Lieberman's primary challenger, Ned Lamont, has become a darling of the net-roots activists.
And, of course, the nut-root activists proclaim with a straight face that they are not inmates in the asylum, but its prospective superintendants.
But Moulitsas said the movement has been miscast as a collection of young, far-left activists by Washington-based Democratic consultants, Republicans and elected officials.
"I think Democratic politicians -- I don't know whether slowly or quickly -- are realizing that we aren't these far-leftist, na?ve and young political extremists, that we're actually a fairly representative cross-section of the Democratic Party and we don't have an agenda other than seeking strong Democratic voices."
That certainly sounds nice, and I can imagine Dan Balz seriously nodding in assent, but anyone used to reading the Kossack frothing-mouth rants must be giggling as serious Dan gets his leg pulled big-time. In their quest to be taken seriously by serious Dan, they do their chest-thumping in a subdued fashion:
But Dave Dayen, a comedian and activist, said the net-roots activists are genuinely pragmatic in evaluating candidates, particularly those in heavily Republican states. He noted that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) is as conservative as Lieberman but has not been targeted by bloggers. "We understand regional realities," he said.
Stirling Newberry, an active blogger on economic issues, said the list of attendees at the conference validates the significance of the net-based movement. "The media are here, the candidates are here," he said. "That says the power is here."
Joe Trippi, who helped tap the power of the Internet for Dean as his campaign manager, said he was surprised more prospective Democratic presidential candidates were not here. "Skipping this is like skipping the Iowa J-J [Jefferson-Jackson Day] dinner," he said.
Moulitsas said he expects the power of the blogosphere to grow. He predicted that it will play as significant a role in shaping the field of Democratic presidential candidates as in who raises the most money and who signs up the best consultants. "I think there's clearly going to be a blogosphere primary [in the 2008 race]," he said.
Old-fashioned Bill Richardson, who can spot phonies and blowhards a mile away, is less convinced:
Whether the activists can fulfill the movement's potential that many see is far from clear, however. The first YearlyKos conference offered a glimpse into the future, but as Richardson told some of the participants, there is still a long way to go before they turn ideals and ambitions into action and accomplishment. Future elections will show whether they have been successful.
Dan Balz is obviously vying for the David Broder steady-as-she-goes conservative-temperament liberal slot at the Post. But Broder would have been smart enough to note that a conservative side of the blogosphere exists, and perhaps also note that a Quinnipiac poll in Connecticut just out has noted that although Lieberman has "only" a 55-40 poll lead among Connecticut Dems, if by some chance he were knocked off in the Dem primary, he could run as an independent and get two-thirds of the general election vote in November. So much for the Sturm und Drang John Reed wannabes on the ultra-left. Like their connection to the real world, the Dem nut-roots effect on national politics is only marginal.
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