Blogrolling

Family business has kept me from the Democratic convention this weekend, but Calitics has insider stuff for hardcore Democrats, along with the California Majority Report and the California Progress Report. The S.F. Chronicle should have some good stuff through the weekend on their blog, and of course the L.A. Times will have comprehensive coverage from our fine staff.

Speaking of bloggers, Carla Marinucci of the Chronicle says "a record 50 Internet-publication bloggers will join the estimated 400 credentialed 'mainstream' media in the press room to track the doings of seven Democratic presidential candidates and 2,100 California party delegates this weekend" in San Diego.

Brian Leubitz, a UC Berkeley master's candidate in public policy, for example, is attending the convention with nine Calitics staffers - a larger team that many major newspapers, Marinucci reports. Leubitz's site has 5,000 readers daily. She continues:

"But one key state Democratic strategist, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of concern for riling the netroots crowd, warns that such efforts are potentially positive and negative.

"Netroots commentary can frequently be intensely personal, even "totally mean and irrational," the strategist said, with some bloggers finding power in their ability "to assassinate political characters online."

"It's amplified by the anonymity, and it can be scary that it's so irresponsible," the insider said. "And it's pulling the mainstream media in that direction."

Even a night auditor at a San Diego hotel is blogging about this weekend's convention. As they used to say on the Internets: LOL.

(Photos: Denis Poroy/AP)