Unlike the animosity the MSM shows to the blogosphere in the USA some of the "media is the message" people in Canada get it.
Susan Delacourt writing in the Toronto Star today Liberal contests starts turning into blog party notes that the candidates for the Liberal leadership contest are finding a new sphere of influence.
In two earlier posts I described the contest Dr. Carolyn Bennett: Canada's Howard Dean and Michael Ignantieff: Canada's Next Prime Minister?
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Delacourt reveals that Michael Ignantieff sought out Bart Ramson of
Calgary Grit for an interview. Ramson was so unprepared that he didn't even have a tape recorder for the interview.
In my earlier post I noted Carolyn Bennett's comfort with this media. She has participated in online dialogue at Calgary Grit. (Incidentally it was that exchange that convinced me of the superiority of Scoop as a blog platform and especially the advantage of a community to deal with trolls.)
Ignantieff staffer Brad Davis:
"The sizable readership of the blogosphere is an example of the growing use of the Internet as a social medium, where individuals engage in dialogue and build relationships. Given that political success is quite often tied to the ability of a candidate, campaign or party to engage and build relationships, anyone that ignores the new Internet reality does so at their own peril," he says.
According to Delacourt the early influence of opinion leaders is substantial. Delegates who will vote at the convention are more readily accessed through blogs. Cerebus is keeping track of the endorsements throughout the blogosphere. The frontrunners are Ignantieff, Dion and Kennedy according to their count.
Also noted was Jason Cherniak, a Stephane Dion campaign worker whose blog Liblogs samples from a wide variety of Liberal blogs.
Campaign spending in Canada is strictly limited. Candidates are finding it to their advantage to reach their constituents directly through the internet rather than travelling this wide land and hoping for MSM coverage.
A new blog for Canadian Progressive Politics The Next Agenda created by dKos members Thursday Next and Bionic last week was not cited in the article but promises to be a player very soon.
My post there Liberal Leadership Race. Volpe looking good? notes that one of the key hurdles for candidates is to sign up new party members who will in turn select the delegates to the leadership convention. Those convention delegates will choose the new leader. Joe Volpe has announced he's signed up 35,000 new members. That could be enough take him from the back of the pack to become a contender.
Canadians are excited this weekend because it is the opening of the Calgary Stampede. Harper returns to his home town of Calgary fresh from his meeting with George Bush where he presented GWB with a belt buckle for his 60th birthday. The President horrified the Right Honourable Prime Minister Stephen Harper's supporters by referring to him as "Steve". Nobody calls him Steve.
The Stampede hasn't been kind to Harper. He lacks empathy, seems uncomfortable in public and lacks people skills. A few years ago he offended the locals by failing to hold a pancake breakfast during Stampede week, breaking a longstanding tradition. Last year he was photographed looking goofy in a "Cowboy" outfit. The vest was ill fitting, His hat appeared to be on backwards and the expression on his face betrayed the kind of discomfort that's usually associated with a person having a load in one's pants.
I can hardly wait for this year's Stampede pictures! Tee Hee and Yeee Hawww!