Online Media Cultist

Democratic Senator and Presidential candidate Chris Dodd is planning to appear on Bill O’Reilly’s popular talk show on Fox News with the express purpose of defending YearlyKos, the annual convention sponsored by the left-leaning Daily Kos, and by extension the liberal blogosphere.

TPM Café reports:

The move is significant because it will make Dodd the first Presidential candidate to personally appear on a leading right-wing show for the explicit purpose of defending the liberal blogosphere. It’s got to be seen as a sign of the times — and of current shifts in Democratic politics — that a Presidential candidate would view such an appearance in defense of Kos’ liberal blogging community and the netroots in general as an asset to a Presidential campaign.

Indeed, with Democratic candidates tacking left in an effort to distinguish themselves from Sen. Hillary Clinton and at the same time pick up support from the liberal base, the Internet has become a significant part of attempting to catch fire among the grassroots, or netroots as it’s now called.

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama announced their candidacies online instead of the traditional hometown American flag-drenched fests we’re all used to. “Video messages” are now a common way for candidates to get around traditional media and talk directly to audiences. Obama himself has been known to publish articles on Daily Kos and Clinton, who will not be outflanked by anyone on any front, has launched HillaryHub.com, a place to pump out positive Hillary stories round the clock.

John Edwards, for his part, has embraced “web 2.0″ early and often, keeping in touch with fans and followers via Twitter. A piece in today’s edition of ABCNews.com’s The Note also details how the Edwards campaign has moved net-savvy operatives into the highest slots while getting rid of those who have not embraced an aggressive online philosophy.

All of this is to say that it makes sense that Chris Dodd, currently far back in the pack in presidential polls, would want to get some media attention for defending the liberal blogosphere. I think his conversation with O’Reilly – a guy who lives to take things out of context (and who better than bloggers to call this out early and often?) – will be an interesting spectacle.