Don't fear the blog...

In today's AJC, Bob Kemper wrote a piece entitled "Don't fear the blog, Kingston tells GOP" that compared today's cutting edge use of blogs to Roosevelt's use of the very new media of radio in the 1940s and Kennedy's use of Television in the 1960s. Appearantly a few lawmakers, such as Rep Jack Kingston and some state lawmakers such as David Adelman, Atlanta-D, have caught on the potential behind blogs.

Kingston is fast becoming the king of niche media among House Republicans, proselytizing to colleagues over the last six months about the virtues of Comedy Central, the blogosphere and podcasting as routes around the mainstream media and crucial new venues for the GOP's message --- outlets that didn't even exist when Kingston was first elected to Congress in 1992.

Kingston has been on the Colbert Report and Real Time with Maher, being a bit of courage and sportmanship when approaching all kinds of media to get his message out.

"If you want to reach a new audience --- Gen X and people who haven't made their political decisions --- you've got to get where they are, and that might mean Comedy Central-type stuff or it may be this new world of blogs," said Kingston, who acknowledges that success in wooing new voters can only enhance his chances of moving up in the House leadership. "Somebody who is 25 years old is much more up for grabs than somebody who is 35 and married with children," he said.

But then you knew all of this didn't you? You've been coming here to get up to date information about happenings at the Capitol this year...more and more are catching on though.

Blogging, in particular, gives lawmakers a chance to reach an audience much more in tune with the issues of the day, according to Carol Darr, director of George Washington University's Institute for Politics, Democracy and the Internet. A study by the institute two years ago shows that 70 percent of those who read and post on blogs are "influentials," community leaders who through civic and political activities influence friends and neighbors.

We hope to use this blog to keep you informed even aftert his session comes to a close - helping us organize and focus our message even louder to potential legislators as they run for office.

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