Blogging on the Hill

First used to boost fundraising, blogs and other social media are taking on a greater role in the nuts and bolts of politics. The National Journal this week has an interesting look at how blogging is being embraced on Capitol Hill and catching the eye of lobbyists and their clients.

Mark Lampkin, a Quinn Gillespie lobbyist and exec. director of Strong American Schools, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation PA effort, is blogging about education on Huffington Post. Cisco and Google have DC-centric blogs on policy and communications.

Democratic Illinois Sen. Richard Durbin reached out to the right-wing blogosphere via RedState.org over the summer to craft a bill to expand broadband in rural areas. The outreach earned Durbin some respect from the right as well as credibility online for the groundbreaking legislative session in cyberspace.

According to the Journal:

No one knows precisely how many Washington lawmakers are blogging. But, according to National Journal's Beltway Blogroll, at least 19 members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., have created blogs to help them in their legislative work. In addition, Hill leaders from both political parties, and several committee chairmen, have created staff positions to reach out to the "Internet media," and to contribute to various blogs.