The blog I found was The Daily Politics blog. This blog is in conjunction with the New York Daily News. The link is http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/ . It is written by Elizabeth Benjamin. That is her real name and she uses no pseudonyms. She is news writer for the New York Daily News and political journalist out of Albany. She joined the Times Union in June 1997. While at the paper, she has covered suburban, city and state government. Benjamin is the paper's lead political reporter and blogger She is in her fifth year working out of the state Capitol. I was unable to find the very first post of the blog because it is updated on a weekly basis.
The tone on this blog is straightforward. She writes on the issues going on in New York City politics, with a little dash of national Presidential politics in between. She shows no bias when writing the blog. It makes it a much more comfortable read, in that you can come up with your own opinions on certain topics without the writer persuading you to think one way.
The big story on the The Daily Politics blog is the news that Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York seeks to run a third term as mayor. The City Council voted 29-22 in favor of extending terms limits for Mayor, so Bloomberg could seek re-election next year. The vote came not without some controversy. One blog entry entitled “Bloomberg’s ’09 opponents respond” , Bloomberg’s opponents ferociously went after the Mayor and City Council. Comptroller Bill Thompson said "I am saddened that our Mayor and majority of City Council members have put individuals before principles. Today our government chose to empower itself rather than the people it serves." Representative Anthony Weiner had this to say “Today is a sad day for New York's democracy and I am disappointed. Everyone can see that this is a backroom, insider deal that takes away New Yorkers' right to vote. I don't believe it will soon be forgotten." This is obviously a big story that will continue to go on as the 2009 mayoral election approaches.
Reader reaction of this particular story is that of utter disappointment. The majority of reader comments 9:1 were opposed to extending term limits for the mayor and most felt that two terms was enough. They feel betrayed by their city council members that voted for something that the public was vehemently against. Some reactions from readers were that they would get rid of any “dead wood” in November.
Ever since the advent of blogs, they have shaped the way politics has been viewed by the public. “Blogs might affect the presidential campaign in another way: by encouraging their readers to participate in politics…blogs may prod their readers to engage in other kinds of political activity, such as giving more to candidates or registering and mobilizing new voters” ( LA Times: Who listens to blogging heads?). One statistic that is sure to raise eyebrows is that“46% of Americans have used the internet to get political news and share their thoughts about the campaign” (Pew Internet, 2008). This shows that the American people are paying attention to politics now more than ever and they are watching politicians every move. It is a good thing, that way we can keep the politicians in check .
Sides, John. 2008. Who listens to blogging heads? Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-sides13-2008jul13,0,3601017.story
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