Thursday, January 31, 2008

Blog Comparison: In the Pink Texas vs. Capitol Annex

From my adoring praise, it may seem like I'm obsessed with Eileen Smith. Well, I'm not. (Well, maybe I am.)

She's obviously very funny. We've taken a look at some of her humor in previous posts. For example, she's under the impression that after adopting babies, you can give them back if it "doesn't work out."

In the Pink Texas has received lavish praise in reviews from the mainstream media, and rightfully so, because it's a great blog. But it's not the only kind of great blog. Let's look at another end of the spectrum: the policy wonk blogger.

Vince Leibowitz, a former Texas journalist who know owns and operates a blog called Capitol Annex, focuses more on breaking news and in-depth analysis of the goings-on of the Texas Legislature and statewide politics than entertaining the reader. For this reason, he is very often cited in work by other bloggers that are providing a general overview of an issue. If it happened in Austin, you can expect that Leibowitz will have covered it. He is the Perez Hilton of Texas politics, but without the controversy (or the celebs, unless you count Gov. "Goodhair" Perry). Leibowitz has even beaten the MSM in late breaking news, much to their private dismay.

Here's an excerpt:

State Rep. Robert Puente (D-San Antonio) has announced he will resign from the Texas House effective February 1.

Puente, who was facing a tough challenge from San Antonio City Councilman Roland Gutierrez before announcing he wouldn’t seek another term late last year, has now set in motion the likelihood of a special election for his district.

While it is likely Gutierrez will win the special election, it does give pro-Craddick forces the opportunity to find another candidate to run in this district.

I feel like both of these blogs serve an important purpose, and one builds on the other in a way. One is newsy and one is funny, but you can't make fun of the news without it being first reported. One is CNN and the other the Daily Show. It makes sense. The Texas blogosphere has been impacted greatly by both, and many bloggers have tried to emulate one style or the other, or perhaps a find a medium in between the two.

1 comment:

CapitolAnnex said...

Thanks for using Capitol Annex for this analysis.