This will be the first year that we have a Democrat in the White House in the modern blogging age, and with that I do have a rather dire prediction. As the year progresses and we start seeing exactly how soon to be President Obama governs, some of the groups and organizations we all cherished for their work these past several years will quickly turn into something we can’t understand, maybe even bordering on entering the wingnut-o-sphere.
I predict this will start when/if Obama decides to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan. People quickly forget the key points of campaigns, and bloggers are no exception. We will hear a big out cry from some bloggers screaming that Obama is breaking campaign promises on Afghanistan, when in fact he will be doing exactly what he said.
As these groups transcend the depths, teetering on being progressive or just noise makers, make no mistake that they have some underlying drives to do so. One of the biggest is greed. We haven’t had a Democrat in the White House since blogging became an actual business and the sudden explosion of PACs. Don’t be confused on the greed though, a lot of it won’t be tied to money. Instead what we will see is a lot of greed tied to recognition and traffic. If you follow the blogosphere as closely as I do you can see this already evident, and a lot of blogs, which have transformed into a sole source of income, already fight for the almighty click. Clicks do lead to money also in the world of online advertising.
If you suddenly find yourself on opposing views of one of your favorite blogs or political action committees, the best thing to do is walk away. Giving them attention, even if it is as simple as disagreement, is the equivalent of giving a beer to a alcoholic. I also suggest the other bloggers out there simply stop linking them and even remove them from your blogrolls. If these individuals don’t get the attention they crave then eventually they will realize that their lust for fame has deeply clouded their love for blogging, and hopefully they will wake up and realize that commons sense is the best part of any blog.
And just to close this out I do want to make clear that any blog criticizing our new president isn’t being driven by greed or has some ulterior motive. I do plan on holding our new president accountable. If I see something being done I don’t agree with, and trust me, it will happen, I fully intend to call him out on it. Of course this blog isn’t my income. I don’t even break even and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I blog for the pure pleasure of sharing my thoughts and if 5 people read them, or 500,000, it doesn’t matter to me.