Why Amanda Marcotte had to quit the John Edwards campaign

" The right-wing noise machine's favorite trick, possibly its only trick, is to select a target and start making a fuss, hoping that by creating the appearance of smoke, just enough people will be fooled into thinking there's a fire.
Unfortunately, it works. "

-Amanda Marcotte

Image: Lindsay Beyerstein

Amanda Marcotte relinquished too much power when she decided that "(she'd)..be happy to move to North Carolina " and work with in Edwards Campaign. She was expected to create a colossus like Daily Kos but with out the power and responsibility she needed to separate her self enough from the Campaign; so that when she did battle with the neo-con relativists, Edwards didn't catch any shrapnel.

Short Term Blog Development is a new technology, a new form. I don't have all the answers, but here's some ideas on what went wrong in this first try at a Short Run Blog Production Campaign.

This new form is pre modern; the challenge in marketing in the bloggosphere is to formulize the process. That hasn't happened yet, it's still a crafting process.

Bloggers are creative people, not Formula Badgers(Walmarts scalable retail business model). I think for the Campaign Blog to be effective, Blog Producers need to be independent creative producers. Success is in control of the site; most importantly control of the crafting of style and content - final cut if you will. Amanda Marcotte is one of a growing number of specialists, they are Creative Producers and should be paid like Producers.

I don't understand why Amanda had to move to North Carolina. The blogosphere is a virtual interactive experience - you don't need to stand up from your keyboard to build another one.

Blog Production will soon come to be seen as important as a National Campaign Organizer. When the power of the thing is fully appreciated the power and responsibility will come, that may happen with-in the next two years.

It ain't over yet Bloggers! Get back in there!


When your party taps you to create that 'Daily Kos' they want; here's some terms you might begin with:

1. The concession earned should be based on results from site meter data over the length of the campaign.
2. The Blog Producer should set a signing bonus; $250,000 per year for 'x' years; Producer keeps ad revenue.
3. Fund Raising is in the Candidates name; the candidate gets exclusive fund raising rights on the site; donations transferred directly through Electronic Banking.

'Independent Blog Producer' sound good as a Title?



mh