the Net best thing

National Journal's Chuck Todd notes, "These 'netroot' groups will do the same for one or more of the candidates -- on both sides of the political spectrum -- in 2008. The netroot groups are as potentially powerful a base in a primary as labor and/or blacks for the Democrats. And this time, the media is going to take netroot groups more seriously, thereby increasing their influence in the next cycle." Todd points to Feingold, Gore, and Clark on the Democratic side and Brownback, Sanford & Schwarzenegger on the GOP side (as well as Thune and Toomey).

And given that Chris Bowers, Markos and other prominant bloggers' dream of Dean as DNC chair has come true, who will be the blogosphere's candidate in 2008?

Well according to a poll on MyDD, it's General Wesley Clark. This isn't a huge surprise since Clark was drafted over the internet and had the second best internet strategy going in 2004, raising tens of millions of dollars online, having his own MyDD/DailyKos style community (called ForClark), and generally a very enthusiastic level of support from bloggers everywhere, being the Deaniac's second choice mostly and the choice of internet folks who didn't jive with Dean like myself.

Feingold is a cool guy, and I liked him when I met him at a Matheson fundraiser in 2000. But he has a couple problems that will be hard to overcome: 1) he's short 2) he's a senator 3) he's jewish. Maybe Joe Lieberman made it ok for Jewish folks to run for the highest office in the land, but I still worry. The things he has going for him are 1) McCain/Campaign Finance Reform 2) no vote on the PATRIOT Act 3) he is from the swingable state of Wisconsin.

As for Gore, his biggest problem is 1) he's Al Gore, the most famous loser of our time 2) he's Al Gore, about as charasmatic as John Kerry [man, what is with Democratic primary voters? Why support such duds?] 3) He has gone off with the noisy but ineffectual MoveOn.org and become a screaming red faced banchee. Pluses, 1) he has a great accent that is coming back 2) When he trashes Bush, people listen 3) Hello, name recognition?

I don't want to go into all the same for the other side, other than Arnold has to get a consitutional amendment through before he can run for President or VP (plus, he is too far left on cultural issues to make it through the primary).