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Thursday, April 28, 2005

Philly-DA: Philly Bloggers at it Again

Posted by Tim Tagaris

Last week, about a dozen bloggers from Philadelphia launched a concerted effort to promote the candidacy of a 38 year-old Philadelphia prosecutor running for District Attorney, Seth Williams.

As I noted on first day to raise awareness online for Seth's campaign, this is pretty important news. But today, the rag-tag group of bloggers helping to raise the profile of a candidate they deeply believe in are taking it to another level.

They have a specific request on how you can help the campaign if you live anywhere near Philadelphia, and unlike most campaigns, their request is not money. In true grassroots fashion, they are asking you to volunteer for Seth's campaign. So if you can, I would encourage you to do so. I am signing up as soon as I finish writing this post.

But what makes these bloggers special is three things: As I have already noted, they recognize that the best way to change the face of the Democratic Party is to get involved in the primaries. In this instance, among many other issues they recognize the importance of the death penalty in a District Attorney's race. They are deeply concerned with incumbent Democrat Lynn Abraham's reliance on it as a "crime prevention" tool.

The second item of note is their sharp realization that, collectively, they have power. They have the power the make a real difference in this race. It's all about the blogosphere trending towards regionalization, and they are way ahead of the curve. They are forming the bonds of a solid network that will not only help Seth Williams over the top, but infrastructure that will help elect Democrats in 2005, 2006, 2008 and beyond. As important, these bonds will also help to keep elected officials accountable once in office.

But there is more. These bloggers see the big picture; the impact that online communication has offline and the elusive meshing of the two. That's why it's so important that they are soliciting volunteers on the ground. That's why one of them is, as I type, working on creating a blog to coordinate many of these efforts in a central location and give the tools and direction necessary to make online activism translate directly into votes. And if all goes well, I hope that the largest paper in Pennsylvania will cover today's day of action.

For more information on Seth, read the recent Philadelphia Inquirer article about him. And again, to volunteer for Seth's campaign, please click here. And if you have a blog, please write about it.

Posted at 01:08 PM in Activism | Technorati