A University of Missouri Professor says he’s done a study that shows a link between the blogging community and how polarized politics are becoming. Ben Warner has done studies looking at campaign blogs and how they affect political discourse.
University of Missouri Professor Ben Warner. Photo courtesy of MU News Bureau
He says it’s up to the candidates to make sure the debate doesn’t turn into a “good versus evil” conversation, but rather a conversation about the policies. He says that’s becoming difficult, as he sees a possible link between online following and campaign fundraising. He says there’s a “trickling up” effect, meaning the increased unwillingness to see the other side that bloggers and constituents are expressing, is effecting how politics are playing out in the House and Senate. That would mean politicians could be tempted to be less compromising in order to raise more money for their next campaign.
Wagner says he hasn’t spent a lot of time in Washington, but knows there’s not an aire of compromise there now. He says colleagues have said that it is as bad as it’s ever been on Capitol Hill.
AUDIO Allison Blood reports. Mp3 [1:00]