Blogging Cain

As I follow the GOP presidential candidate races, I have become very drawn to Herman Cain's campaign. For that reason I am looking at three different blogs and focusing on posts relating to Herman Cain on all three to get a good sample of the approach and leanings of each. The results were surprising. 


First, it is important to understand what has recently caused such a stir among campaign circles about Herman Cain. Granted he has quite a resume that many center around pizza but something else is causing a stir. Take a look at his campaign's most recent ad. 

I really do not understand the point of the toxic inhale from Block at the end of the ad. Is it because he is supporting smokers' rights? Free will? A nod to tobacco? Is he just saying "I'm a bad ass?" Likewise, I do not understand why this ad is causing so much commotion. Actually I take that back. I know exactly why. Its because its a weird mysterious act that the political left nor right can figure out and there is the genius of Cain's marketing abilities. It really has nothing to do with being a conservative or liberal right? Yet its still somehow controversial which means lots of attention and lots of air time.


The three blogs I look at are Ben Smith's blog on Politico, HotAir.com, and last but not least, HuffPo. 

To start, let's take a look at Ben Smith's article about Cain. Smith is a conservative writer and his views align with my personal views but I will say without a doubt that he is biased. As a blogger, that is really what he is supposed to do but I have to say that this particular post from Smith seem to be fairly bipartisan. Rather than take a position about Cain on an level of ideology, Smith takes a look at historical patterns and factors that point to the potential success or failure of a candidate like Cain. There are no insinuations about how the public may be swayed by his platform but rather how the norms of politics and campaigning do not seem to align with Cain. The question then is raise about whether we have seen a departure from the norm or if Cain's fate is inevitable based on historical norms. We shall soon find out. 

HotAir.com's Tina Korbe writes more fondly about Cain and his campaign but overall still remains neutral on the bias scale. Korbe takes a look at the dynamics of the GOP campaign and how Cain is positioned among the other candidates with a nod that Cain has some advantages. As a blog, Hot Air does lean right and I also like the content they produce. 

My last blog I selected was meant to be a contrasting view of Cain's campaign. Surprisingly that is not what I found to be true. I have followed the Huffington Post not only for their content but also the company itself. They are a heavy weight in the online media world and this was confirmed when AOL bought the Huffington Post for $315 Million which has become quite the controversy. The Huffington Post's content has tended to lean heavily left and its leadership including Arianna Huffington is a major supporter of the democratic party and agenda. When I pulled up the post on Cain's campaign, I was surprised to see that they content could not have been pegged with any bias. Again this was surprising to me and made me think about this a little bit. Some blogs are a one man show and the bias and dynamic of that blog is very consistent. However, the same does not hold true for blogs that have a pool of contributors such as the Huffington Post. Although they balance of the cumulative bias may swing more one way than the other, it cannot be said that every post is going to have the same position. That is why I love the blog world. Its conversations are so dynamic. 


Jonathon N