Steve is a very nice looking dude. That being said, I guess I missed the point of the video. There are a whole bunch of voices in the cyber tubes and some get read/heard a lot. Others are screaming their message but for whatever reason no one hears them. That's what is so good about Mike's roundup, little sites and big sites get a link of attention.

I did see "C&L" on his blog roll in one shot.

...why no love for C&L?

Maybe if you and/or John cross-posted at 10 other blogs.....

Sorry, that comes across as a cheap shot. Steve has a great blog of his own, but doesn't get nearly as much traffic there as he deserves. And he's veeerry prolific, and every one of his posts are meaty and fulfilling.

Just sayin'...

I didn't specifically call out C&L because based on the interview info I was working with at the time, I didn't know Steve was so regular a contributor here. Had I known, I certainly would have included it, since the purpose of that title screen was to impress upon the viewer that Steve's writing gets a lot of eyeballs on a regular basis.

pissed off patricia @ 2: I made the film about Steve because he's a friend of mine and I only had to drive about 8 miles to shoot it. Had I access to lots of political bloggers I would gladly have expanded the film to include others.

Thanks for the link!

Never heard of the guy.

Thanks for the post. I enjoy learning more about smart progressive bloggers.

Now if you really want to help, show me how can I unlearn about Tweety, Hannity, BillO, etc.

L.A. Confidential @ 11:

Blue Lensman @ 10:

Thanks for the post. I enjoy learning more about smart progressive bloggers.

Now if you really want to help, show me how can I unlearn about Tweety, Hannity, BillO, etc.

Fill your days with something that actually produces a tangible product that benefits humanity.

Or just yourself from the "web".

I meant undue yourself from the "WEB".

And avoid getting "stuck" in it again.

Why no love for C&L? you ask. Well, it's probably because one of the central events in the video is the 2006 blogger meeting with Clinton. In fact, when you listen to the video on the phone, instead of watching it in person, there is a plug for C&L.

bill simmon @ 6:

I didn't specifically call out C&L because based on the interview info I was working with at the time, I didn't know Steve was so regular a contributor here. Had I known, I certainly would have included it, since the purpose of that title screen was to impress upon the viewer that Steve's writing gets a lot of eyeballs on a regular basis.

pissed off patricia @ 2: I made the film about Steve because he's a friend of mine and I only had to drive about 8 miles to shoot it. Had I access to lots of political bloggers I would gladly have expanded the film to include others.

Thanks for the link!

Film local, link global. Gotta love the cost/benefit ratio, bill. ; )

Amen to that charles. I get his daily email wrapup and its always worth reading, ALWAYS! ;)

Scarabus @ 19:

Whoa! This is a tough crowd. Anyhow…

Steve said (a) that Clinton has a great political mind and (b) that Clinton's associating his prestige--or infamy, depending on POV--with bloggers was important. That seems inarguable to me.

One can recognize a person's capabilities independently of his/her policies and behaviors. Adolph Hitler was a sociopath...but he was also a mezmerizing speaker. Bill Clinton might have betrayed progressive values, but he was very effective in doing so.

I remember David Gergen's saying Clinton was the smartest guy he had ever met. He noted that Clinton could sit doing a crossword puzzle while aides debated an issue; then, having finished the puzzle, he could remember everything each individual had said. Good memory combined with ability to "multitask" does not a genius make. But Gergen's been around, and he's no flaming Democrat. His assessment should be taken seriously.

It isn't helpful to confuse ability with values and policies. In the chapter "Natural Depravity" in the novella Billy Budd, Herman Melville observes that Claggart, the master at arms, employs rational means to achieve irrational ends. All too common. Think Karl Rove.

Do you really think Benen was simply saying Bill Clinton was skillful? Read his blog on TPM. He's a Clinton apologist. That's fine with me. I like his some of his analysis, but I can't stomach a lot of his Clinton cheerleading. It's just a difference in politics, though.

Nicely said.

Well, actually I got him confused with Greg Sargent on TPM. LOL. Feel free to ignore me. Nevertheless, I don't think Benen was praising Bill as a political tactician so much as he was praising his presidency in general. People will have to make up their own mind about his statements in the video. Anyway, there are a lot of bloggers bristling with the way the press is handling Clinton. I think some of this criticism is legitimate, but a lot of it seems a bit partisan to me. Personally, I don't think the press has presented any of the democratic candidates very well, particularly Edwards.