New York Times vs. Blogs

I have been following the New York Times and Andrew Sullivan’s ‘The Daily Dish’. I really enjoy reading both, but they are very different. When I read the ‘The Daily Dish’, I feel slightly overwhelmed by the diversity of each blog. On one hand, there is a blog about the best Halloween costumes which contained a YouTube video. The clips of a human keyboard cat and an iPhone costume that actually worked were very clever and fun to watch. However, that blog was followed by a blog about a gay man who is against marriage equality and an article about Ms. Scozzafava, a republican candidate who just withdrew from the race in Northern New York. After spending years in the public school system and reading standard articles in the newspaper, it is strange for me to flip from such extremes. I am used to focusing or concentrating on one topic, then switching to another. Skipping around from blogs for entertainment to informative information, almost gives me a sense of whip-lash. I enjoy it, but it will take some adjustment. The New York Times is more comfortable, if slightly less entertaining. I found an article about Ms. Scozzafava on the ‘Daily Dish’ and in The New York Times. I was surprised at how similar the articles were. Ms. Scozzafava withdrew from the election when she realized that she would come in third place. She claims to be a Republican, but she supports gay rights and abortion rights. I do not follow politics very closely, but it is disappointing that national conservative forces seem to be manipulating local elections. I never appreciated how important national and financial support is for a candidate. Even though her views better reflect that of the district, she has no shot at winning because she does not have the support she needs to campaign. I found it interesting that both the ‘Daily Dish’ and New York Times used the same quote by Ms. Scozzafava, “In recent days, polls have indicated that my chances of winning this election are not as strong as we would like them to be. The reality that I’ve come to accept is that in today’s political arena, you must be able to back up your message with money — and as I’ve been outspent on both sides, I’ve been unable to effectively address many of the charges that have been made about my record.” Even though the blog and article are not necessarily contradictory, it is interesting to see how a quote can be used in two such different sources.