I just received the following via email:
Vivian —
I would have appreciated it if you would have asked me about the “delisting” of Howling Latina from LeftyBlogs.com – before you assumed it had anything to do with her views on the presidential race.
It didn’t.
LeftyBlogs.com is an aggregator of local progressive political blogs. The emphasis is on LOCAL.
Lately, we’ve working overtime to get LeftyBlogs running in a more stable and consistent way. To that end, we recently removed about one thousand blogs from the aggregator. The vast majority were dead blogs. But a few dozen were blogs that weren’t doing local content anymore.
Among those was Howling Latina, whose focus has become almost entirely the presidential race.
Personally, I don’t care what her views are. I understand that her position is controversial in the Virginia blogosphere, but you can rest assured that I’m WAY too busy to be personally tracking every twist and turn in the various slapfights that bloggers engage in from time to time around the country.
It’s my goal to ensure that LeftyBlogs is a big tent for progressives. Now and then I hear from folks who are upset by my broad definition. After all, what’s considered “lefty” or “progressive” in Oklahoma is a far cry from the way that people in San Francisco define those terms. So, I keep it a very big tent. The whole “PUMA” thing is silly, but it certainly fits inside my big tent.
As your blog tagline notes, all politics is local. And on LeftyBlogs.com, that’s about the only thing that matters.
-kari.
Kari Chisholm
President, Mandate Mediap.s. Feel free to quote this message on your blog. I just didn’t want it to get lost down there at comment #93.
And here is my response that I sent to Kari:
Kari
I apologize for not contacting you directly on this issue and making the assumption that the delisting was related to Howling Latina’s content. The leap I made was based on the series of posts in the Virginia blogosphere saying it. I was quite aware that Lefty Blogs has been working on the backend of things; in fact, I saw the notice up on the site about it. I just didn’t connect the two. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
More than anything, I appreciate that Lefty Blogs is the “big tent” that I thought it was. You reinforce my hope for Democrats.
Vivian
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Credit to both of you.
Perhaps Kari’s email to you explains why virginiadem.org has never been picked up by Lefty Blogs, despite repeated attempts to have it listed.
Dear Kari Chisholm,
BULLSH*T
Love,
The Squeaky Wheel
Good job on this mystery, Vivian.
Although I do not feel her behavior is progressive, I am willing to cede that we all get off the track sometimes. I am certainly no different.
Good, now we can go back to ignoring HL and wondering whether Obama is old enough to be president.
Big tent? You talk on the one hand of having a “big tent” but then focusing on “local” political blogs. I am curious just how folks are defining local these days. Its used to be “Virginia” blogs that focused on statewide issues were local. How can a race that may see a Virginian on the ticket as VP and focus on that race not be an extension of that local focus.
We are Virginians. I for one am a Virginian first long before a Dem or Rep. This delisting smokescreen will easily be demonstrated if HL revists her local focus? I mean three months of doing locally focused commentary should do the trick right? Fact is if it were merely a “local” thing HL would not be seeing her removal from other sites that are PURELY political statewide and national focused blogs. Lock step folks are follwing suit not because of the local spin but because they found HL views and ideals in direct contrast with the message and agenda the seek to facilitate upon the electorate. It is the very fact that HL has been an avid supporter of Clinton and whether one believes HL has taken it to an inappropriate level I wonder if she has lied in any manner regarding issues or was this cartoon simply HL “maccaca” moment in terms of Leftyblogs, cobalt6, raisingkaine, richmonddemocrat etc etc. I am not exactly sure what is worse, someone using satire or cartooning to make a point that one is in dissagreement with or blogs that create an aligned story to remove links in opposition to that voice. heck we all have the power over our blogs but at least be honest about it. have some real integrity and just say HL was removed because you simply do mnot like her position on things and you control the message on your blog. I do not think anyone has a problem with that but when you say you are a “community” blog I think people are left with the impression its an open all inclusive exchange of ideas arena and frankly we have learned since 2007 now that the blogoshere is not. It has become a sword by which folks will use it and fact is HL was not helping these blogs sharpen their message and HL was removed. As a Virginian its distrubing given our traditions, though many of the prominent bloggers these days care little for Virginia traditions it seems at some at every turn would have us turn into something else. Remember the piece at Raising Kaine about how Virginia is turning into Maryland? I love how people feel they have the power to tell someone what they are…to tell HL she is not a Democrat as many of these bloggers have demonstrates the lack of respect they have for not only the big tent philosophy but the foundation of the Party itself. I for one have seen this happen to many Democrats who have moved away from the Party on the State level simply because the environmental wing feels compelled to call all those who disagrree with its pillars regarding climate change as not really being true Democrats. This is no different. HL supports Clinton and the views expressed in support of Clinton, who was bashed by many of these blogs in the Primary, are contrary to the sphere of influence these blogs wish to project and that in the end is the real reason HL will not be linked in the future. Folks the tent just got smaller and if you think it is gonna stop there your kidding yourself. Try posting comments at some of these “communities” you you will find just how open which ones are and which of course are not. At least Vivian gets it done right and always has. Thankfully so. The exchange of ideas and visions is indeed a local thing but only through local cooperation can we impact the greater Commonwealth and Country.
Blah, blah, blah. Now can we please get back to talking about Thelma Drake’s GED?
Funny blah blah spotter. Thank you for proving my point. When your ever ready to step up and discuss issues and not personalities let us know maybe we can actually make some headway. Oh I forgot, your not concerned with real progress or change just the appearance of such. Everything that Barrack’s campaign has promoted regarding changing politics is lost on you apparently.
You know I’ve asked this before, but I figure I’ll try again (since this thread seems to be the catchall for most anything). What, exactly, is an “Alter of Freedom”. Are we talking about something like freedom, but a little different? Or are we talking about altars, with sacrifices and whatnot?
Lots and lots of whatnot all over the place.
It would’ve been nice for them to at least send me an e-mail…don’t cha think??
Kari, President of Mandate Media and Chief Cook and Salad Spinner at BlueOregon.com, has what you might call a situational ethic. He’s on the payroll of many influential Dems in Oregon (including my Governor, one of my US Senators, my Rep in Congress, My Rep in the Oregon House, my State Senator and one of my City Councilors – soon to be my Mayor). LeftyBlogs is simply an extension of the media Kari offers in service to his clients.
[Officer Chisholm]
MB…depending upon which reference you prefer regarding Lincolns famous remarks, his actually writings at Library of Congress or the historical interpretation/spelling of his words that were properly articulated in the movie Saving Private Ryan regarding Mrs. Bixby’s boys during the Civil War. The phrase also can be found throughout Virginia histories during the fight for liberty and many references in the House of Burgesses regarding Virginia joining the fight for Independence. “Altar” or “Alter” depending upon spelling and often times geography trickles through histories with the same meaning frankly referencing the sacrifices endured for freedoms sake. Hence no freedom comes without some cost to society, whether it be its citizens physical or personal sacrifice or the financial burden of sustaining such freedoms. Historically we probably still face the same questions today as our beloved Virginia did over two centuries past. Hope that clears it up. Thanks for asking MB.
1. I said “please.”
2. I’m pretty sure it’s “Altar.”
3. I very sure it’s “Barack.”