The Virtual Primary

“Could blogs trump stumping in Iowa?” The Christian Science Monitor sees that as a possibility:

…the Web in general and blogs in particular have perhaps upset a generation-old tradition of political campaigns. Previously, those of us living outside of Iowa or New Hampshire were largely left out of the process. The blogosphere helps dissipate this geopolitical claustrophobia.

The power of the Internet has led the Pew Center’s Michael Cornfield and others to say that we should now speak of a much more visible “virtual primary.” Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R), Sen. Russ Feingold (D) of Wisconsin, Sen. Evan Bayh (D) of Indiana, and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) of New York all blog or occasionally post on prominent blogs.

Somehow I don’t see these people posting at three a.m. without an editor. Well, maybe Gingrich. (hat tip: AC)