When It Comes To Blogs, The GOP Is AWOL

Day in, day out the right-leaning New Jersey blogs provide an aggregation of news, analysis and opinion sorely lacking in the major media that serves New Jersey. The Republican Party, a natural ally of our point of view, one would assume, ignores us. No links on the NJ GOP website to right-leaning New Jersey blogs - so content rich is the New Jersey Republican site, the party apparently is in no need of grass roots support.

The New Jersey Republican Party might be surprised to learn that the majority of this blog’s readers find us searching for information about the issues that matter to the people of the state. While we haven’t asked our fellow bloggers, we’ll bet their blogs are a helpful resource for voters starved for information too. Imagine the impact if more people in New Jersey were aware of our existence.

Joe Katzman comments on Patrick Ruffini's blog about the difference between the left- and right-blogosphere and notes the GOP is tone-deaf in its relationship with bloggers.

Meanwhile, connections of any sort among right-leaning blogs to the GOP or to conservative alternative media and think-tanks are still iffy at best.

Heritage made some half-hearted efforts, but they came to nothing near as I can tell. Townhall.com has never made their blog work or integrated it with the larger community. Think tanks are largely AWOL. And don't even get me started re the tone-deaf way the GOP is trying to handle blogs right now.

Meanwhile, there's no Media Matters or (a far better idea) campaign-enabling infrastructure to give the righty blogosphere the kind of organizing/outreach power that would make a difference.

Now, our human infrastructure of blogs is more robust. I'd say we're more prepared to receive attention, success, et. al.

Having said that, it's also clear to me that the right and centrist blogosphere is not being "all that we can be," and isn't being integrated very well with existing institutions, even in informal ways.