Politics
Entries related to things political.
Current blogging
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Tue, 04/04/2006 - 18:16March was a difficult month for me. I only got six blog posts up. I continue to be swamped this month, but I’m trying hard to do better with getting blog posts up here.
What has been taking up some of my time is posting on other blogs, so I thought I would highlight comments I’ve made to three different diaries over on MyDD.
Last week, I participated in a bloggers conference call with Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel of the DSCC and DCCC. There was a discussion about it here which wasn’t very impressed. I added my comments here where I talked about my disappointment.
The role of blogs in Connecticut Local Politics
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 04/02/2006 - 21:27(The following is a response to a comment to a post on Connecticut Local Politics. I think it stands pretty well as a blog post in and of itself.)
While I disagree considerably with turfgrrl’s assessment that ‘blogs, and the internet in general have very little effect on political campaigns, and especially here in CT’, I want to applaud her on her post. It is well thought out and the sort of stuff I wish we saw more of here.
With that, let me make various comments. First and foremost, I don’t view blogs and the internet is substantially different for other modes of communication. Turfgrrl is right to note that while the MSM is picking up more stories online, they’ve always picked up stories from “inside” contacts. Perhaps this gets to a little bit of how the Internet and blogs are helping turn politics inside out.
Life’s Lenten Illusions
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sat, 04/01/2006 - 23:37It’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve written a blog entry here. There has been so much going on that I just haven’t had a good chance to write. I’m several hundred emails behind and haven’t been able to catch up in over a month now. I haven’t been reading through my bloglines, haven’t been to any of my favorite social networks. I’m simply on overload.
Much of this is from activity around the Ned Lamont campaign. Also, various work activities for Toomre Capital Markets as well as technical difficulties for SmartCampaigns have sucked up all of my time.
Participatory Democracy
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Sun, 03/12/2006 - 22:29(Cross posted at Greater Democracy)
In 1906, John Philip Sousa told congress, "These talking machines are going to ruin the artistic development of music in this country. When I was a boy ... in front of every house in the summer evenings, you would find young people together singing the songs of the day or old songs. Today you hear these infernal machines going night and day. We will not have a vocal cord left. The vocal cord will be eliminated by a process of evolution, as was the tail of man when he came from the ape."
My daughters' piano teacher mentioned this at a piano party sometime back, and it has always stuck with me. She went on to cite the piano party as an example of how Sousa was wrong. This came back to me again on Saturday, as Miranda performed at a Young Musician’s Festival in Fairfield.
NOI Picture
Submitted by Aldon Hynes on Thu, 03/02/2006 - 17:12
This is a picture taken of the New Organizing Institute group during the Bloggers panel. If you are from NOI, and are reading this, add a comment, especially if you've got a blog. Originally uploaded by Aldon.
