KU News Release

Top political bloggers to speak at KU’s Dole Institute

Joan McCarter, a contributing editor at Daily Kos, will attend the event.

LAWRENCE — The country’s top political bloggers will be at the University of Kansas’ Dole Institute of Politics next week to discuss the effects Web logs will have on the 2008 presidential election.

From the impeachment of President Bill Clinton to the millions of dollars raised for 2004 presidential candidate Howard Dean, political blogs and those who create them have been credited and blamed for many of recent history’s most compelling political stories.

Five bloggers poised to make a difference in the current campaign will comprise the panel for “Blog to the Chief: The Impact of Political Blogs on the 2008 Election.” The event takes place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, at the Dole Institute. It is free and open to the public. A film crew from C-SPAN will record the event.

Panel members will be Patrick Hynes, blog consultant for Sen. John McCain’s Straight Talk America PAC and creator of the blog Ankle Biting Pundits; Erick Erickson, managing editor of the conservative blog RedState.com; Jerome Armstrong, one of the architects of Howard Dean’s Internet campaign; Joan McCarter, a contributing editor at Daily Kos; and Scott Johnson, co-founder of Power Line Blog.

David Perlmutter, KU professor of journalism, will moderate the event. Perlmutter is the author of “Blogwars,” which examines the history of blogs and their effect on politics.

“Bloggers have dramatically altered the way campaigns are run,” said Bill Lacy, director of the Dole Institute. “It’s fitting that we kick off our discussion of the 2008 campaign with the nation’s best.”

The Dole Institute of Politics is dedicated to the mission of promoting public service, civic engagement and politics. For more information, visit the Dole Institute Web site or call (785) 864-4900. The institute has created its own political blog. It can be found at www.doleinstituteblog.org.

-30-

The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.