Most veterans of left blogistan know that there is a broad and consistent disparity between left and right wing internet presence, in that left wing sites are much more likely and frequent to allow unrestricted (anonymous) or unmoderated but pseudononymous commenters. Many right wing blogs (Instapundit, NRO Online for example) simply do not allow comments at all. Places like Redstate are infamous for how quickly one can be banned for politely deviating from movement conservative dogma. In a famous example Tom Delay briefly allowed comments to his site, and the results were preserved for posterity. There are exceptions but this is a pretty general trend, and pretty indicatative of the deeper ideology that drives the left and right.
Browsing around on the site of Dick Armey's "Freedomworks", we get a healthy reminder of what happens when right wing sites neglect to curtail commenting on their sites. In a post titled "Help Us Defeat Obamacare", Freedomworks boasts of having slowed the progress on Obama's health care reform, highlights approvingly the reluctant blue dogs and asks readers to call several key members of congress. It seems the public at large is not, in fact eager to help.
The very first reply:
Follow inside to see that this was not an aberration.
As I write this, the majority of comments in the thread (and I show here, they are not all apparently from the same person, though I have no way to really know) are pro-reform and opposed to Freedomworks' agenda. There are a few people supportive of Armey, but amazingly few.
That's not usually a sign of a healthy "grass roots" movement. A quick browse of OFA's blog doesn't seem to show nearly the same problem happening there.
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