tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19646581.post115536245461694570..comments2024-03-09T02:32:34.549-06:00Comments on Dr. Melissa Clouthier: Ann Althouse on Blogging HeadsMelissa Clouthierhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15864991953502438461noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19646581.post-1155604939202471442006-08-14T19:22:00.000-06:002006-08-14T19:22:00.000-06:00Why not indeed! Thanks for signing up. :)Oh, and y...Why not indeed! Thanks for signing up. :)<BR/><BR/>Oh, and yes, she is definitely uncomfortable being positioned as a conservative. I had written a post on BlogHer about the panel and described her as such. She was not described as such in the official panel description, though. When she made her feelings known, I did a strike-thru and changed her descriptor to "moderate."<BR/><BR/>Ann makes some brilliant points about how conservatives link to her when they agree with her and ignore her otherwise, while liberals ignore her always. Being a staunch liberal I can tell you I often complain about this "eat our own young" mentality on the left. Arianna Huffington brought it up in the closing keynote at BlogHer...she said it had been 10 years since she shifted parties...when were the die-hards going to "forgive" her for her past transgressions?!<BR/><BR/>I observed it in our gubernatorial primary here in California. We can be very,very self-defeating and it drives me crazy!ElisaChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06089769928274740436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19646581.post-1155538726329749422006-08-14T00:58:00.000-06:002006-08-14T00:58:00.000-06:00Elise,Thank you for your clarification. When I use...Elise,<BR/>Thank you for your clarification. When I used the term "set-up", I was quoting Ann. I did not know that she was on the Advisory Board. My impression of the Blogging Heads interview was that she was uncomfortable with her positioning as a "Conservative". I see why others looking from the outside into the conservative arena might view her that way, but I'm not sure that conservatives view her that way.<BR/><BR/>Again, thank you for your clarification. And, as an aside, I have signed up at BlogHer myself. The link was on a blog I read and I thought, Hey I'm female, why not?Melissa Clouthierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15864991953502438461noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19646581.post-1155442399242301452006-08-12T22:13:00.000-06:002006-08-12T22:13:00.000-06:00You might find it interesting to know that Ann is ...You might find it interesting to know that Ann is actually on the BlogHer Conference Advisory board, and has been ever since she was invited early this year. <BR/><BR/>The "Politics" panel wasn't actually about politics itself, but about blogs as political activism...how and whether they're effective tools. She wasn't "set-up", rather we attempt to provide diversity of perspective on all panels. Ann didn't merely represent ideological diversity, but much more importantly diversity of perspective in that she doesn't see herself as activist as all, and doesn't *want* to persuade folks politically. So that represents a different POV than many, many political bloggers and was interesting to explore. <BR/><BR/>Finally, Ann is oft-regarded as conservative in the blogosphere, for a variety of reasons (which we actually discussed on her blog recently.) So, that's not much of a stretch. When Ann requested to be described otherwise in a post describing her session, we immediately respected her request. [BTW: I do read her blog, but, I confess, much more for her photography and TV commentary than her political commentary.]<BR/><BR/>So, you know, that was good viewing, but there's always more to a story than a 5-minute video excerpt!ElisaChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06089769928274740436noreply@blogger.com