Matt Drudge is King

It may well be that the single most influential person in national politics is Matt Drudge, and it is certain that the greatest impact at the intersection of the Internet, mainstream media and national politics is indeed The Drudge Report.

This is not a value judgment, it’s a fact; and it is a testament to how the national leaders of the Democratic Party, and the financial heavies of the party, stand light-years behind their conservative competitors in finding support for a medium friendly to them.

What Drudge does is combine essential real-time political news, which attracts one of the highest-level and most powerful political audiences in the world, with an obvious bias towards the Republicans and the right, and
an ability to inject less edifying attacks into the national media.

So while it is essential for the political operatives from left to right to read Drudge multiple times per day, the hook allows him to inject various stories that move within minutes from the keyboard of the oppo research hacks to the major stories on the television news.

Give Drudge credit for this: He is damn good at what he does, and there is no serious Democratic or progressive competitor in terms of injecting issues, and at times dirt, into the major news with instantaneous impact.

Shame on senior Democrats, Democratic financiers and prominent Democrats with business interests in the entertainment and media businesses for so undervaluing the power and impact that the right has done so well at seeding, funding and supporting.

In fact, Democrats control both houses of Congress and have some capacity in influencing the news, yet they fail to meet the challenge from the Republican right by failing to support more progressive media.

There should be a liberal version of Fox News, and I predict within the year there will be.

There should be far more support for liberal radio and financial support for the progressive Internet.

There should be a professionally planned and professionally funded version of The Drudge Report. There are many fine sites from the progressive side, and shows such as Keith Olbermann’s that are ratings leaders appealing to a more progressive audience, and a huge audience that is truly gigantic, of progressives who would support any television network, major shows, or Drudge competitor that serves them in proportion to their numbers.

For now, let’s give credit where it is due: Matt Drudge is king. Change is in the air but will only arrive when the
political and financial powers on the Democratic and progressive side put their money where their mouths are and meet the challenge from the right.