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Blue Hampshire makes "Valley News" front page

by: Ed Tracey

Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 09:41:35 AM EDT

Although the article is not on-line: when I bought my copy of the Valley News this morning, I saw the word "Netroots" on a front-page article headline. Sure enough, Blue Hampshire was mentioned - which figures, since it was written by John Gregg (the paper's political reporter). On the link above, only this snippet was on-line:

NEWS: Netroots Grow in Twin States
West Lebanon -- At 6:36 a.m. on April 24, the day after New Hampshire's Senate Judiciary Committee narrowly voted to recommend killing a gay marriage bill, the small but influential www.Bluehampshire.com Web site posted a call to arms.

And after citing the words that urged us to contact our legislators respectfully, Gregg began his next paragraph with:

It was a galvanizing moment.

(more after the jump) ....

Ed Tracey :: Blue Hampshire makes "Valley News" front page

And our very-own Dean Barker was an important part of the story - though far from the only focus: located as it is in the Connecticut River Valley, the newspaper had stories of how the regional netroots help influence bills in the Vermont Legislature as well.

Jim Splaine is also quoted as to how he used Blue Hampshire to communicate, as Democratic political activists and legislators read the blog ......

"to see what the tone and intensity of issues are" and also "as you watch the thread, as you watch an issue being discussed, it's fascinating seeing the minds being changed".

The article notes the beginning of RedHampshire, whose founder cited how important new media and the netroots are in a grassroots state like New Hampshire.

Cheers to us all, and especially to Dean: although you were referred to as "soft-spoken" (what, not "mild-mannered?") your printed words here are not exactly soft.

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Blue Hampshire makes "Valley News" front page | 20 comments

wow (4.00 / 6)

thanks, Ed - this is very nice to hear about. I wish they'd decided to put a story about internet activism online....

sanctimonious purist/professional lefty

by: susanthe @ Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 17:44:20 PM CDT

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Thanks, Ed. (4.00 / 9)

Inevitably I become the "spokesperson" for this place form time to time, but I don't mind it when it means the community as a whole and what goes on here gets discussed in the print media.

Seems oddly fitting or humorous somehow to have an article on the netroots that isn't available online, isn't it?

birch, finch, beech

by: Dean Barker @ Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 17:47:13 PM CDT

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The Valley News has comparatively few ... (0.00 / 0)

.... of its stories on-line. But you're right, the symbolism is odd.

"We should pay attention to that man behind the curtain."

by: Ed Tracey @ Sun Jun 07, 2009 at 17:51:27 PM CDT

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Over the years John Gregg has proven to be a thoughtful and incisive political reporter. (4.00 / 2)

Because I dont live in the Upper Valley, I all too rarely get to read his articles and dont know if he does a regular political column a la Dorgan DiStaso and Landrigan, but if so perhaps a link could be added?

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.

by: Paul Twomey @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 07:31:14 AM CDT

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Gregg's work was available (4.00 / 1)

online via Bill Siroty's New Hampshire News links. He must have had an agreement with him, because as mentioned above, most of the paper is not online. Too bad.

by: Jennifer Daler @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 07:36:24 AM CDT

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Gregg's column appeared on Thursdays on the Valley News site (4.00 / 2)

I have been following it irregularly since then. I had no agreement with John.

by: Putney Swope @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 22:15:03 PM CDT

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Gregg does have a weekly column (4.00 / 2)

that comes out on Thursdays.

I can't find a permalink to a column page, but if you click on the Valley News homepage on a Thursday and then click the Top Stories, you can find it.

The VNews also has really outstanding photography.

birch, finch, beech

by: Dean Barker @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 17:49:24 PM CDT

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That's true, Gregg's normal Thursday column ... (4.00 / 1)

... is called Primary Source and has a hodge=podge of political news from Vermont and New Hampshire. It is often (though not always) on-line.

"We should pay attention to that man behind the curtain."

by: Ed Tracey @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 18:50:26 PM CDT

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Dean steps into a phone booth, dons his cape... n/t (4.00 / 4)

Republicans believe government is bad - then they get into office and prove it.

by: GreyMike @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 08:42:51 AM CDT

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Phone booth! (4.00 / 4)

That's so old media.

(But then Siegel and Shuster didn't give us a Latin teacher...)

by: elwood @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:13:32 PM CDT

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Great NH trivia question. (4.00 / 1)

There is an actual phone booth in a rural part of this state.

Not a post with some wind shield protection around the phone, but an actual, Superman style booth.

Where?!

birch, finch, beech

by: Dean Barker @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:18:50 PM CDT

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Last two I remember-- washington general store and south acworth store. (4.00 / 2)

i think both are gone.

"But, in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope." Si se puede. Yes we can.

by: Paul Twomey @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:35:08 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Nope. (4.00 / 1)

But having a booth in either one of those wonderfully rural places would be awesome - I'm sorry they might not be there anymore.

birch, finch, beech

by: Dean Barker @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:47:40 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well, I'm old media myself. (4.00 / 1)

But it turns out that McLuhan got a lot of this right after all.

I suppose these days the man from Krypton would have to go into a public rest room, and probably get arrested (depending on his stance, of course).

Republicans believe government is bad - then they get into office and prove it.

by: GreyMike @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 21:56:29 PM CDT

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Rather than "Underdog", I had in mind ..... (4.00 / 3)

... Dean Barker entering the secret headquarters of Blue Hampshire the way Maxwell Smart did (on "Get Smart") ....

"We should pay attention to that man behind the curtain."

by: Ed Tracey @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:57:51 PM CDT

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Concord Monitor, too! (4.00 / 4)

There was an article in today's Monitor about political blogging in New Hampshire, mentioning the opening of Red Hampshire and some nice detail about how influential Blue Hampshire is and how the Republicans are openly trying to emulate it. I can't find it online, though.

Only the left protects anyone's rights.

by: RealNRH @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 19:52:01 PM CDT

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I can't find it either. (4.00 / 2)

If it's really not online by tomorrow, that's two articles in two days about the internet and New Hampshire that aren't locatable on the internet.

Too funny!

birch, finch, beech

by: Dean Barker @ Mon Jun 08, 2009 at 20:24:28 PM CDT

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It was a reprint of the Valley News article. (4.00 / 3)

I assume the Monitor bought the print rights, but not the online rights.

by: Tim C. @ Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 12:45:06 PM CDT

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Thanks. (4.00 / 1)

I just saw a print copy today and discovered that as well.

birch, finch, beech

by: Dean Barker @ Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 17:25:38 PM CDT

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Ah. Peggy Lee! (4.00 / 1)

Disney put out an album of Lady and the Tramp including her singing. She sued, saying that they only had rights to use her work in the original medium.

(Is that all there is?)

by: elwood @ Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 18:47:00 PM CDT

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Blue Hampshire makes "Valley News" front page | 20 comments

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