Publius' Forum

I have to confess that I have been chosen to deliver an address at the upcoming convention for center-right Bloggers, Blogging Man 2007.

The news of this gathering has come out too early. The Internet holds no secret for long, obviously. Within a week or so of the organizer's efforts to begin to line up speakers for their convention, the news began to spread like wildfire and the organizers were deluged with emails asking about the event and Blogs began rumor-mongering about it. So, the event advertising on the Net was launched months too early.

And, already, the scoffing and nay-saying has begun. Yeah, hard to believe, I know … or not.

Anyway, the nay-saying has started. Here are a few little digs:

Here are a few from a Blog called Tbogg

"I think it's just a scam to rip off the cultural conservative's cash. Just like the Republican Party. Maybe they should change the title to 'floggingman' and also pick up the torture fetishists in the Republican party… Do conservatives have ANY ideas they didn't steal from liberals?

# posted by Mark B. from Austin TX : 4:52 AM"

--A leftist in Austin, Texas. Shocking.

"one that most at strawblogman would never dare attend themselves even though it puts many of the principles they espouse into actual action

No, they'll just gasp in horror and outrage at the "irresponsible behavior" while covertly downloading the pictures of women with their clothes off.
# posted by Pere Ubu : 7:26 AM"

-- A typically substance free leftist strawman attack.

Oh, here is the real doozie posted by the ever present and proud to voice his opinion, Mr. "Anonymous":

“For a real thrill, google the participants. Warner Todd Huston's pic on his blog page is too good to be true…
# posted by Anonymous : 7:00 PM”

There ya go, "Anonymous". Make fun of someone’s physical appearance. What do you think our lefty and proud Mr. "Anonymous" would say if a Conservative made fun of that flatulent, bloated Michael Moore? What do you think our intrepid lefty would say if I said that Helen Thomas looked like the less sentient mother of Jabba the Hut? Bet he would think that making fun of THEIR appearance is uncalled for.

Now here is a real funny one. The one and only Mr. James Wolcott whose bio helpfully reminds us that he wrote a few novels and a few reviews here and there - and in New York City, no less - seems to have already proclaimed that Blogging Man 2007 is a bust.

"TBogg brings to our sleepy attention a forthcoming jamboree that threatens to be the singular non-event in postmodern non-history: Blogging Man 2007, being held at a bingo parlor in Reno, Nevada, brushfires permitting."

So, Mr. Wolcott, who’s name is sure to go down in history among the list of the great who-are-theys of America's illterati in the 21st century, has looked down his nose at this venture, laughing at the temerity of those ... shudder... Bloggers.

And, um, where did he deliver this properly leftist scoff? Did he do it in the pages of the New York Times? How about even the LA Times? No. He did it on his Blogg!

Mr. Wolcott may be a writer, but it seems obvious the concept of irony is not one of his oft used and worn out devices.

Now, one of the slams against this nascent convention is that there are no "big names" set up as speakers. Certainly, I am no "big name" and I make no pretense that I am. If one should ask the average man on the street if he knows Warner Todd Huston, proprietor of Publius' Forum, I am sure most would say no. I'd suggest that if we were to ask the same proverbial man on the street who is James Wolcott, he would still say he didn't know the name, but that is another story.

Still, the Bloggin Man, 2007 committee has already snagged the services of Hugh Hewitt, one of the nation's most well known conservative Bloggers and long time writer and opinion editorialist, as well as a nationally syndicated radio talk show host. And there is still over a year and a half until the kick off date of October 18th, 2007 and they have yet to announce their Sunday schedule. There is plenty of time for great things yet to be announced.

But, I would like to use the words of Eric Odom, one of the convention's organizers, on the "big name" issue.

In a reply to another Blogger on this issue, Odom said,

" Who said Hewitt was the star attraction? We’ve got 20 months my friend. Besides, blogging isn't about big names, it's about the little names. Those are the guys that are making the entire scene function the way that it is. Should we exclude them because they don't have the 'celebrity status'?"

Well, of course he is right. It is the "yous" and "mes" in this world that are creating the Blogosphere. Not the well edjumacated University Professor, high sitting politician or anyone in the well fed elite that are doing so. It is the average Joe. Or the average Todd, in my case. We are shaping minds and at times altering the landscape of our political and media order.

Hey, we got Eason Jordan of CNN and Dan Rather fired didn’'t we? That ain't nuthin', as the old saw goes.

So, let 'em scoff. We’ll run with the ball and make the big plays while they sit in their skyboxes and ruminate on how we can't play the game. Players paly. The rest just talk about it.

Well, we have just seen the beginning of the hate-speak against Blogging Man 2007 to be sure. But one thing is for sure, if they have their undies in a bunch like this already, what will happen as we get closer to the event date?

Warner Todd Huston