The New York Times joins in the conversation about netroots in politics: the meaning and value of the political blogs:
For all the attention being paid to Internet technology, there remain definite limitations to its reach. Internet use declines markedly among Americans over 65, who tend to be the nation's most reliable voters. Until recently, it tended to be more heavily used by middle- and upper-income people.
And while the Internet is efficient at reaching supporters, who tend to visit and linger at political sites, it has proved to be much less effective at swaying voters who are not interested in politics. "The holy grail that everybody is looking for right now is how can you use the Internet for persuasion," Mr. Armstrong, the Warner campaign Internet adviser, said.
I have the answer, naturally. It's called hypnosis and I practise it all the time. You read this blog and suddenly you are converted to echidneism, suddenly you yearn for chocolate ice-cream and want to speak Greek, suddenly you love little snakes and hate little wingnuts. But it takes a lot of experience and skill, and Mr. Armstrong isn't there yet. Are you feeling just a little sleepy, by the way?
The same article does the required cold-water-dumping on the liberal blogosphere:
Bloggers, for all the benefits they might bring to both parties, have proved to be a complicating political influence for Democrats. They have tugged the party consistently to the left, particularly on issues like the war, and have been openly critical of such moderate Democrats as Senator Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut.
When you have stopped laughing about the joke of Lieberman being a moderate Democrat you might ask yourself how exactly we tug the reluctant party to the left. The answer is mass-hypnosis and mesmerism, but don't tell the wingnuts.