Beware the Bloggers, Charles Schumer

Woe be to journalists who "misunderestimate" the power of the blogger brigade. Those computer pundits, dubbed by former CBS News executive Jonathan Klein as pajama-wearing nonentities, may yet bring down both Dan Rather and CBS. The CBS anchorman seems to have been unaware that many of these bloggers have the brightest and smartest minds in town. They've honed their skills on Internet political forums and with their gifts for flooding the Internet with the truth; they have the power to upset two senate races - one in New York and the other in Illinois.

Senator Schumer has a nearly $21 million campaign chest. His Republican opponent Howard Mills has a tiny fraction of that. Mr. Schumer is also being challenged by Dr. Marilyn O'Grady on the Conservative Party line. Both of his opponents face an uphill battle provided the truth about Mr. Schumer's record remains submerged by the mainstream press.

That's where bloggers and Internet forum posters can work their magic. They have access to every public record and they have little tolerance for spin doctors and telegenic pundits. It's just the facts, ma'am. Nothing else will do, and many of the posters on Lucianne.com and freerepublic.com are attorneys and financial savants. Buckhead, the freerepublic.com blogger who nailed the National Guard documents as fakes, has been identified as an Atlanta attorney, Harry MacDougald.

Mr. Schumer's senatorial performance is less than stellar. According to his rival Mr. Mills, Mr. Schumer has only managed to pass 8 out of 152 pieces of legislation in the six years he's been in the Senate. Mr. Mills has also said that Mr. Schumer is a hardworking self promoter. "He's a master of the Sunday morning press conference." Bob Dole once said, "The most dangerous place in Washington is between Charles Schumer and a television camera."

Being a photo-op hog or an ineffective legislator are certainly not the worst criticisms Howard Mills has for Mr. Schumer. He has charged that Mr. Schumer has illegally used taxpayers' money for campaign trips and an ethics investigation is now being pursued. Senator Schumer has acknowledged that some trips were in violation and has agreed to repay $20,000 of the expenses. Mr. Schumer's 1998 senatorial campaign was fined $130,000 for finance violations.

Dr. O'Grady's latest television ad highlighted the senator's battle against the president's judicial nominees and charges that Mr. Schumer has a problem with people who hold strong religious values. Mr. Schumer's vicious blockade against Miguel Estrada's nomination for the federal bench may affect his chances in the Hispanic community.

Howard Mills considers himself a moderate Republican who can get elected in New York State just like Messrs. Pataki and Giuliani. Marilyn O'Grady is a staunch conservative who believes that New Yorkers deserve to have a candidate who reflects their values. She addresses the critics who say that it is impossible to beat Mr. Schumer. Her letter to New Yorkers on her Web site includes this statement:

"And let me start by suggesting anybody who thinks Schumer's re-election is a certainty should have a word with President Howard Dean about inevitability."

If the bloggers want to flex their muscles by tackling Senator Schumer's lackluster voting record in the Senate and flooding the Internet with the information that the mainstream press has chosen to ignore, who knows what can happen in November?

As for the open Senate seat in Illinois, that race may become another surprise for the pundits if the word gets out that the reasonable Barack Obama who gave the keynote address at the Democratic convention may in fact be even more liberal than Ted Kennedy or John Kerry.

I met Alan Keyes during a reception at Gotham Hall during the GOP convention. He's taller than I expected, with a genial personality. I joked that I was praying to St. Jude for him and he burst out laughing, saying, "That's very appropriate." The saint of hopeless cases may have seemed the logical prayer choice for Mr. Keyes then. Now I'm not so sure.

"Barack Obama voted for infanticide in the state Senate," Mr. Keyes said, referring to the April, 2002, vote cast by Mr. Obama to continue live abortions in Illinois. That is, if a baby survived an abortion, the bill would have permitted the baby's life to be spared. Mr. Obama voted against the bill. He supports partial birth abortion, socialized medicine, and affirmative action, and he opposes private gun ownership. He has been described as left of Mr. Kerry.

Mr. Keyes has said that, like most Americans, he didn't know much about Mr. Obama and was originally impressed by his keynote speech until he looked at his record.

But exposing candidates' true record is the job of journalists, not the "pajama-hadeen."

Dan Rather learned that lesson a little too late.