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Discussion and debate in the blogosphere this past week was overwhelmingly dominated by a widely reported exchange between two bloggers (one NDP, another Conservative), a Green party campaign staffer, Green party leader Elizabeth May, and TV Ontario – could it get more complicated?

Blog Buzz - Sept.16, 2008

Discussion and debate in the blogosphere this past week was overwhelmingly dominated by a widely reported exchange between two bloggers (one NDP, another Conservative), a Green party campaign staffer, Green party leader Elizabeth May, and TV Ontario – could it get more complicated?


 

Blog Buzz

1. Buckdog - Green Party Of Canada Threatens BUCKDOG BLOG With Lawsuit In Attempt To Suppress Freedom Of Speech!
2. The Agenda Blog - Elizabeth May, the blogosphere, and pronoun trouble
3. Stephen Taylor - Leave Leftdog alone!
4. Blue Like You - Danny Williams and his 'campaign of fear'
5. The Hook - 'Stupid' video: Stephen Taylor takes credit for clip that Greens call fake

Our methodology / Infoscapelab.ca

Ultimately the controversy focused on two issues: first, did Elizabeth May say (and does she believe) that Canadians are "stupid"? Since the sound files and YouTube clips of May's appearance on TVO are short they raise an important question about the ethics and politics of the selective editing of leaders comments (granted, an issue in election campaigns since the advent of democracy).

Second, the golden rule in politics, which politicians and their staff seem to be ignoring with respect to the web so far in this campaign, is don't let your opponents goad you into overreacting. The Green's made the issue more prominent by failing to respond to an internet attack with a measured and like-minded internet response (something the Obama camp learned from Kerry's inadequate "swift boating" response). Rather as a consequence of threatening an NDP blogger with legal action and accusing a Conservative blogger of doctoring the TVO record, Elizabeth May was forced to defend her comments and campaign to a much wider television audience.

Also appearing in the top blog posts for the past week is "Blue Like You", a blogging Tory who takes on Danny Williams ABC (Anyone but Conservatives) campaign. William's recent launch of a website to support his campaign will no doubt keep this a hot topic in the partisan blogosphere.