Anger about the "State Blogger Corps" list from some in the blogosphere

*****UPDATE 2*****

Here's the original article from "African American Political Pundit" and my comment. While I originally commented on Francis L. Holland's article (linked below) I decided I didn't want to feature that blog.

"The Clintons have always been skillful at playing the race and gender cards." Now its seems the Democratic National Convention may be playing the "segregation card" with black political bloggers. At this historic moment why are black bloggers excluded? The 2008 DNC Bloggers Corp lacks diversity - You can count the black bloggers on one finger. Francis L. Holland also sees Jim Crow "Whites-Only" Dem. Bloggers in Denver?

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean announced the blogs selected to participate in the DemConvention State Blogger Corps during the four-day event in August.

AAPP: It appears that one black political bloggers may have been selected. Check out the list I could be wrong. Why is it that in 2008 black bloggers get segregated out of the Democratic Convention State blogger Corps? We have history in the making and black bloggers will not be well represented in the State Blogger Corps, to tell the story?

I also liked the response that I left for them better than the other. They weren't snarky so neither was I.

The criteria for the blogs was mostly based on Technarati authority, page impressions and Progressive/Liberal political content. This means generally the blogs chosen were the most-read blogs in each state.

You can also see that most of them were very focused on state issues as well as national politics...many having or referring to their state in the name of the blog. The blogs chosen from the bigger states (generally) were the slick, multiple-contributor websites as they are the most-read blogs.

Actually, a number of the contributors to those websites are black. Doesn't that make sense that the chosen websites would have a variety of voices representing their state including black voices?

Of course, it's frequently impossible to determine the ethnicity, religion...hell, even the gender (Digby) of folks on the Internet, unless you are making these assumptions based on stereotypes. Some people prefer "internet anonymity" because their words are not judged based upon a "category". I don't know how I could authoritatively declare that "there are" or "are not" any "black blogs" in the 50 State Blogger Corps when the ethnicities of many (if not most) of the contributors are impossible to determine based on a one-time or short-time viewing.

Of course, one had to apply or be nominated to be selected in the first place. I know that the two other blogs that applied to represent Alaska were not owned by people of color. Heck, the owners of the most popular blogs in the state...the ones that everyone thought would be chosen...didn't even apply because their work and family schedules prohibited it.

Probably the most important thing NOT to assume is that many of your favorite blogs applied at all.

I think when the list of blogs chosen for the Blog Pool comes out, you will see a cornucopia of diverse blogs - many of which will have more of a national focus and/or be more issue-driven.

I promise you that, if I thought there was any purposeful exclusion of black bloggers happening here, I would be screaming from the mountaintops (literally, I'm in Alaska). I may email Pam of "Pam's House Blend" what her opinion is, since she also writes for one of the chosen blogs "BlueNC."

Celtic Diva