Some interesting blogs have appeared that focus on the September election. Der Spindoktor and Telepolis have a rundown, but it is too early to say whether German blogs will have the same impact on the elections as their American counterparts. Here are a few that I have found interesting (so far):
Oswald Metzger is blogging over at Focus. A Green sympathizer with neo-liberal inclinations, his commentary is interesting.
lautgeben.de : an excellent blog, frequently updated, from the group that runs the popular Berlin-blog Spreeblick.
Wahlblog05: was the first blog out of the chute, created by the Gruppe iDemokratie, and is a forum for all political perspectives.
Wahlblog.de: from the Web impressario Nico Lumma, is still trying to find its legs.
And last not least, a blog with a clear point of view: Merkel darf nicht Kanzler werden!
While these blogs will no doubt contribute much to the debates over the summer, I tend to agree with Stefan Niggemeier (of BILDBlog) who wrote recently in the FAZ:
Anders als etwa in den Vereinigten Staaten oder Frankreich, wo die Blogger inzwischen als publizistische Macht wahrgenommen werden, gibt es allerdings bislang kaum deutsche Blogs von politischer Relevanz.
What is missing up to now are community-building blogs that provide an interactive forum for debate as well as activism, such as DailyKos and TPM Cafe in the States.
But the shortened campaign cycle presents German political bloggers an excellent chance to become an important force. Dialog International will report on this progress throughout the summer.
