This story inspired me ~ maybe there IS hope. :-0
"Left-wing politics are thriving on blogs the way Rush Limbaugh has dominated talk radio, and in the last six months, the angrier, nastier partisan blogs have been growing the fastest. Daily Kos has tripled in traffic since June. Josh Marshall's site has quadrupled in the last year." ~ NYTimes, Fear and Laptops on the Campaign Trail
Of course, as far as democracy goes...
"It's almost as though, in a time of great national discord, you don't want to know both sides of an issue. The once-soothing voice of the nonideological press has become, to many readers, a secondary concern, a luxury, even something suspect. It's hard to listen to a calm and rational debate when the building is burning and your pants are smoking."
While the individual blogs may not be "balanced" or otherwise "deliberative", the cumulative effect might serve as a leveler against right-wing talk radio and FOX. A macrosocial effect instigated by the microsocial? Wouldn't THAT be something. :-)
I love the comparison of blogs to radio, but the big issue for me is that radio is virtaully free. People have to have a lot of investment in a computer. Or they have to really love their public library.
Camille had posted an email to your class about politicians, and I had to mention, ahem, that I had the weirdest experience as an elected (and now appointed) person active in town politics. Someday it'll be a book (as my mother cuttingly called it "My Life as a Lower-Level Politician." I am not making that up (apologies to D. Barry).
I was not seeking power for power's sake, although frankly, that came with the position. I was seeking general improvement in my community's well-being. It comes with pleasure, to be sure, when folks know you and suddenly want to talk with you. It also comes hard won & hard kept, as some people don't want to talk with you, or even spit at you (not making that up either).
I appreciated Camille's reminder that there are several forums where people act politically. A super duper article is R. Asen's "A Discouse Theory of Citizenship"......as is C.Hayward's "Doxa and Deliberation."
Re: Hadley....nope, not the diss. (although a long term plan is in the formation stages for it) The Bison Brothers (I forget their name) had several proposals that tried to work with town officials to get something approved. Frankly, I am not sure whether they wanted to sell first or a developer made them offers. Problem was they seemed to focus (like many do) on the officials and less from teh ground up (although in local politics the officials aren't that high up). (Bent Flyvbjerg's Rationality and Power: Democracy in Practice is an absolutely brilliant work in this regard.)
Camille's q re: local being too local (loco?), ooh, that's a goodie. need more discsussion & I need to sleep......Hope you'll be at Donal's on Friday!