Ramblings' Journal

Conservative bloggers are persona non grata in Boston

Wizbang is reporting this morning that most (if not all) conservative bloggers who applied for credentials to the Democratic National Convention have had their applications turned down.

Is anybody really surprised?

The notion of allowing bloggers in is tenuous at best. (I know there are some who will make a big deal about it -- and I'll admit that I was among the first folks who actually posted to the electronic world at a political convention, most notably the '88 Democratic Convention back when I was on The Source).

The concept is not entirely new, Sherwin Levinson, Diane Worthington and Mike Greenly did it (also on The Source, they and CompuServe were the only game in town as far as what we now know as the Internet back then) in '84 at the San Francisco convention.

But everyone is making a big deal now because the National Committees are actively seeking bloggers to participate.

The DNC has posted a half-assed apology to those who didn't make the cut, but we all know the truth: They are only looking for a cheering section, no "visitors from the other team" allowed.

Big deal.

C-Span, PBS, FNC, MSNBC & CNN will be gavel-to-gavel. The alphabet networks are gonna showcase the "stars" of the convention with an hour each night.

The rest of us? We'll be online, jabbering away as usual. And we'll be able to get the real story, even though we won't be in Boston. The "Edison Carter future" of personal reporting is still coming. And the Democrats can't do a damn thing about it.

UPDATE: Here's a partial list of credentialed bloggers bound for Boston.