Most bloggers recognize Power Line, the blog run by the trio of lawyers from Dartmouth who broke the Dan Rather/Bush story that ultimately ruined his career. One of my favorite local magazines, Mpls/St.Paul (they have great food reviews!) has an interesting Q & A with John Hinderaker, one of Power Line's bloggers. Here's what John had to say about how he would react, should a Democrat win the Presidency:

One thing you won’t see with us is the insane hate you see on the left for the Bush administration. Where does it come from? I don’t know. You hear all sorts of different explanations—some people think it has a lot to do with the fact that Bush is religious. I’m sure that theory has some truth to it. Some of it has to do with—well, talk about an echo chamber, go to a site like the Daily Kos or Democratic Underground. By the way, I don’t really do that. I think I’ve looked at Daily Kos twice in my life. I’ve looked at the Democratic Underground more than that, but not many times more. But just based on the experience I’ve had with those kinds of sites, these people try to egg each other on. It’s like a beehive, and the bees are all buzzing, and there are only bees. They don’t look at an opposing moderating viewpoint. That’s part of it—just the way a lot of these Internet activists, in particular, are set up, where they function, where they organize themselves, lends itself to this kind of endless reinforcement, this ever-growing rage.

I interviewed both John Hinderaker and Scott Johnson back in September and posted it on the old version of this site. My Q & A with conservative blogging powerhouses, is after the jump.

Over the phone, Scott Johnson, one of the three men who blog at Powerline, is quick to laugh but slower to speak. He usually lets John Hinderaker, his outgoing friend from Dartmouth, former law partner, and current partner in crime "do most of the talking." While Hinderaker agrees that he might be more verbal than his cohort, Johnson still has plenty to say online; he's the first one to post something, usually around 6 am. When I ask them which web sites they review for news, Hinderaker chuckles and says he checks Powerline, "to see what Scott's put up."

These days, Powerline is one of the first sites a lot of people many politcos read in the morning--or anytime for that matter. According to their own site meter, they receive, on average, over 59,000 page views per day. The Powerline guys have paved a way through the Internet highway for a different--perhaps minority--voice to be heard in the media, particularly the conservative political one. Though Hinderaker thinks their practically-revered status by conservative fans is "overrated," Johnson is willing to venture out as to why Hugh Hewitt thinks their blog is so significant. Powerline, and other similar blogs, he explains, are "an important outlet for conservatives who need to get the word out without the intervention between the reader and the news of the mainstream media."

Hinderaker started Powerline over Memorial Day weekend in 2002 and asked Johnson to contribute his editorial perspective to the effort. At that time, Hinderaker recalls, "Minnesota was in the eye of the hurricane that year" with the senate race between Senator Norm Coleman and his rival, the late Senator Paul Wellstone. After a few months of blogging, Hugh Hewitt discovered some of their posts about the race and the relevant Star Tribune polling data they linked on their site. "Hugh started reading us," Johnson explains, "and starting talking about us on his radio show. I heard him mention us one night and I just about drove off the road."

Five years have passed and these local guys still think Minnesota remains in the has held an important political spotlight, and will continue to with in light of the upcoming convention. Hinderaker thinks the convention in St. Paul next year will be a " continuation"continuation and intensification of the state's pretty pivotal role." Like the 2004 convention, Powerline hopes to be there live-blogging, from radio row, but Johnson isn't worried about what he'll be doing at the convention, his apprehension lies with the preparedness of local authorities and protest groups. "I'm concerned with whether law enforcement authorities are prepared with who will be coming to disrupt the convention. If it turns out that they aren't, is that a black eye for the RNC or Gov Pawlenty? Or for the heart and soul of the Democratic party which at this times seems to be the radical nut."

One of the radical nuts about which Powerline often blogs is the local Minneapolis paper, the Star Tribune. Though Johnson describes the new ownership as "a breath of fresh air," he's vociferously adamant that "it would be good if institutions like the Star Tribune went out of business" citing their "incredibly corrosive impact on the civic life on the state of Minnesota."

*****
The first thing Scott Johnson and John Hinderaker say to me on the phone is they've only got a few minutes to talk. Though they're better known for blogging, they do have actual "mortgage-paying" professions and have to take conference calls. I decide to skip the personal background-questions and go directly to politics. Johnson interrupts with a chuckle, "But personal background is the only thing I'm qualified to talk about!" They've got a sense of humor, and it's on that note that we discuss what's happened to a comedian he used to think was funny.

A fan comedic of Al Franken's since the 1970's, Johnson marvels at the person he's become, politically and otherwise. "I used to really admire his humor," he insists. "Unfortunately, though, he has become a very unfunny, stereotypical, hard-core left-wing guy." Minnesotans are known to embrace all kinds of politicians, from Humphrey to Mondale, Ventura to Palwenty, but Hinderaker believes Franken may be embraced by Minnesota Democrats with the same kind of gusto reserved for Senator Wellstone. was. "DFL loyalists will view Franken as an unmuzzled, out of the closet, upfront, liberal with a capital "L" and they'll be behind him very strongly."

Johnson says much of the humor Franken is known for has been replaced with an angry spirit, one that'll come out on the campaign trail, but, neither men are convinced that characteristic will hurt him. In fact, Hinderaker believes Franken is a prime embodiment of Democrat politic: example of what Democrat politics embodies: "The differences which are not flattering to Franken are going to be overlooked and what they'll see is a real aggressive champion of unbridled leftism and anger is a big part of what leftism is about these days. Liberalism has become so much more about maintaining this state of rage, than actually trying to get anything done, in that sense he may fit right in."

One thing's for sure, the red-state-residing Powerline fits right in to the New Media, (even if it is in blue-state Minnesota) and is sure to stick around for awhile. Check out their site, for regular analysis of local and national news.