When asked about the differences between conservatives and liberals, former NY Governor Mario Cuomo once remarked that the former "write their messages with crayons," whereas the latter writes in "fine-point quills." While the analogy managed at the time to boil the blood of his Republican opponents, the observation may be useful in comparing how the two warring sides manage to disseminate their message, influence politics and develop their following.

If one were to pick the two mediums that each has maximized to reach such ends, they would have to be talk radio and blogs. While both sides have without question excelled in both realms, it would seem that conservatives and liberals have each carved their own respective niche using these popular communication tools. Both developed under very similar circumstances, and at least demographically, have very similar followings.

In the 1930's, after his fallout with the White House, Father Charles Coughlin's radio show grew to be one of the most popular program's of all time. His animosity towards President Roosevelt, along with controversial views towards Wall Street and "international bankers," made him a populist mouthpiece heard by millions every week. By the 1990's, conservative talk radio came to ascendancy, fueled by the Clinton Administration and the seeming decline of "genuine" conservatism. Similarly, the rise of the blogosphere came at a time when an increasingly unpopular president had brought the country to war, and increased the stretch and scope of the federal government through measures such as the USA PATRIOT Act. Howard Dean's 2004 presidential bid catapulted the so-called Netroots into the limelight, and provided a podium for those Democrats who felt left behind during the Clinton years.

Both came about due to a healthy distrust of government, needing a participatory outlet for them to hear and speak to their concerns with the direction of the country. In the 1980's, Murray Levin conducted a study on talk radio revealing this very idea. According to Levin, the interactive potential held at the time by talk radio could change media as we knew it:

"The democratic potential of talk radio is enhanced by the fact that it is a declasse enterprise compared to the other media. Talk radio has significantly lower budgets than television, smaller salaries and audiences, lower advertising revenues, less sophisticated equipment, and a more limited broadcasting range. Talk radio is the poor relation of the media, but it is the most participatory. The spontaneity and informality of talk radio free it of the restraints imposed by television's structured panel of experts, where established guests are expected to deserve the protocol of propriety, and where time is limited."

Levin's wide-eyed optimism for talk radio was certainly warranted, although much of the economics of the industry has changed in the twenty years since Levin published his findings. Ironically, one might rewrite Levin's words in a historical game of Mad Libs, replacing talk radio with blogs. According to a 2006 study by the Institute for Politics Democracy & the Internet (IPDI), 8% of all internet users keep a blog, while 39% have at least read a blog. These numbers are likely to grow, as more and more traditional media outlets begin to shift online, and blog publishing programs remain affordable (or free) and user-friendly.

Bloggers may, however, face a dilemma of exclusivity. While both mediums tend to attract white, male and upper-middle class audiences, blogs don't even begin to draw the audience that talk radio in fact does. The same IPDI study found that approximately 57 million Americans have read a blog. Comparatively, the combined weekly audience of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity alone reaches roughly half that number. Part of the problem is money. As our biggest newspaper outlets are learning, the advertising revenue found in print media (and radio) doesn't exist yet online.

This could put bloggers at an interesting crossroad. The ascendance of talk radio didn't necessarily come about due to really smart hosts (although there are a few), nor did it blossom because of its heady and intellectually advanced commentary (although the dialogue is often quite intelligent). It became popular because of what Murray Levin called the "proletarian despair." It provided an affordable outlet to exchange ideas on the pertinent issues of the day. It exposed the audience to a fresh approach to policy debates, and utilized a trick often found in comedy and satire--make yourself look smart, and your audience even smarter.

Bloggers shouldn't necessarily view talk radio as their ideological opposite, but instead, should view themselves as the same logical extension of decentralized media. Today's blogosphere tends to be more partisan, more exclusive, and at times, more vitriolic. Just listen to the Sean Hannity radio program, and despite the partisan nature of his programming, one clearly doesn't sense the same tone and attitude. Perhaps this comes from years of media training on his part, or perhaps from the understanding that without the audience, you have no point to make.

Call it "crayons," as Mario Cuomo did. Whatever the label, it's undeniably effective. There are of course many bloggers who understand this, and have learned how to be effective while not being insulting or elitist. While political blogs continue to grow in size and credibility, they'll have a choice in whether or not their tone and tactics will draw wider and more diverse followings. As Americans gradually make the transition online, will many bloggers grab the torch carried by talk radio all of these years, or will they be content to blog in Cuomo's crayons for smaller audiences?

(Crossposted at RealClearBlogs)