According to Thomas Hollihan, political communication is important to talk about because the political system is one of rituals that need to be continuously reified. The use of blogs to dispense information during the 2004 election leads some writers to speculate that "amateur blogs have fostered public involvement in politics and enhanced political dialogue," (Smolkin) so blogs seem to offer the type of communication that Hollihan touts to be integral to the continuation of democracy. With more and more people distrusting the mainstream media, personal blogs are a way for individuals to find out about politics and offer a convenient second source for media hype. The 2004 election was characterized by instances where individuals have posted information on their blogs that discredited what the media was reporting. There was the Dan Rather scandal and the misspeak of Dick Cheney that lead to the creation of a website in favor of John Kerry, both were characteristic of how quickly people can get on the internet and do research, and how quickly the information can be disseminated. Currently the FEC is not regulating blogs, so that offers even more freedom in an atmosphere of increased regulations on speech.
Even with the increased emphasis that blogs are playing in the political realm, recent studies have suggested that the traditional media is still more popular than blogs for election information. This does not mean that so-called traditional journalists are not becoming concerned, or that they are not hopping on the blog bandwagon, and still some are angry at the increased focus on blogs. Daniel Weintraub, a writer for The Sacramento Bee, had been a columnist for 20 years before he started a blog to track the recall of Governor Gray Davis. He credits the blog for improving his writing, because his readers could immediately give him critiques, and also for the demand for him on the three major cable television networks and his signing on "as an exclusive analyst with MSNBC." It is certain that in the next election there will still be blogs, and people to offer opinions and check statistics, and the candidates will have to do more to include this growing group of potential voters if they plan on winning.
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