The SF Chronic looks at the swarm of blog coverage of the California Democratic Convention, and recognizes that blogs have changed the way politics are conducted.

Depite all the money they bring in, it’s not always for the best:

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.”

Who was it that said neither party likes their base, but the Democrats are scared of theirs?

UPDATE: In the comments, Ed Driscoll (the other conservative blogger in Northern California) suggests the quote was from Peggy Noonan. It was indeed, though this 2006 column instead of this 2002 one with similar themes. I badly misremembered it:

Democratic leaders in Washington are in a worse position than Republican leaders in Washington. Neither likes their base, really, and both think they are smarter. But the Democrats think, deep down, that their base is barking mad. The Republicans don’t. They just think their base is a bore.