When Blogs Become the News 0

A mayoral election looms in Philadelphia, and the comments area of a local blog has become a battleground:

The Web site is called Young Philly Politics, but for much of the last month it has been the setting for an online food fight between some old Philadelphia politicians.

In one corner: City Councilman Jim Kenney, who began blogging on the liberal Web site last month.

In the other: Kenney foes, including cement masons’ union leader Mike Fera and several anonymous posters who the site’s founder says logged on via the Internet address of the city’s electricians’ union.

Note that John Dougherty, of the Philly IBEW, is rumored to fancy himself as mayor, or, at least, as a power broker.

Now, I do not live in Philly.

Then, I did not live in Philly, either.

But I have lived in the Greater Philadelphia Co-Prosperity Sphere since 1983 and worked in Center City for 12 years (Q. How do you know someone is not from Philadelphia? A. He says “downtown”) and have come really to like Philly–it is a great city, and, as I was telling Phillybits a while ago, I’m much more oriented to Philadelphia than to Wilmington.

(Ask me what cities I love: Washington, D. C.; Boston; Chicago.)

So, where was I headed? Oh! it must say something about the import of the internet that a blog has become a site for mayoral hopefuls to slug it out with each other.

What does it say?

I don’t know, but something. Especially when it makes The Paper.