Blogging in Boston pt III

Not so easy, is it?

I haven't been following the inside baseball, because, at it's heart, a convention is a trade show, but with better exhibits. I don't really care about what the Pennslyvania delegation thinks. I'll read the people who do care, saving me energy.

I don't want to make any judgment about the bloggers until tommorow, but when I hear about some big party for bloggers, I want to bang my head against the wall, playing The Wall at full volume. I'm nearly 40 years old and I've had my fill of parties and ass kissing and playing journalist.

If people are wondering if I'm pissed at not being given creds, I'm not. Why? Because I know how to cover a story. If creds were so fucking important, I would have wheedled them from a friend or someone who reads the site, which includes the DCCC. Or I would have begged for help.

I am so glad I didn't do that, because then I would have written stories like every other blog. And that would have been a moral failure.

You know, I am angry at the coverage. I am disappointed. There are good spots, and people doing good work, but why the fuck aren't people more curious? Why didn't anyone walk around the harbor and look for the helicopters and boats? The speeches are on TV, and while it's nice to hobnob with your political heroes (the thought makes me ill, the only place I care about seeing Ben Affleck is at Fenway Park), what does it really bring to the table.

I do want to read about what is going on in the Fleet Center, but not exclusively. I don't care, and I don't think you do, about gossip. Which most of the bloggers are tossing up in droves. Did anyone look at the platform, try to get a feel for issues? I wanted to do policy stuff, but in the rush of business, and a hellish week in Iraq, I am dancing as fast as I can. It will have to wait until next week. One conclusion: the Dems are lying about Iraq to win the election. Just like Clinton lied about Bosnia.

But I will make this point: real reporters don't just take notes at an event. Political reporters, IMO, suck. They think they know more than they do. But real reporters, like David Halberstam and Peter Arnett, looked for stories, they didn't expect them hand delivered. There is more to reporting than covering an event.

The bloggers didn't need to hang around the hall all four days, there are other stories. But that first press pass is intoxicating, illuminating. But goddamnit, I don't trust politicians who want to throw me a party and pat me on the ass. Something is just fucking wrong with that. It sets ofdf 20 years of bells and whistles. I thought there would be people blanketing the city, hanging around different places.

I wonder if anyone will cover the protests during tonight's speech by Kerry. My hopes are minimal.

posted by Steve @ 12:41:00 PM