SquareState 2.0: New management at lefty blog seeks to engage activists

Pioneering lefty Colorado political blog SquareState announced a change in management Tuesday. Previously owned by Paul Preston’s Soapbox Network, the site was purchased by Open Communications Colorado, LLC, which is Sarah Fong, former Andrew Romanoff regional campaign director, Crystal Clinkenbeard, media strategist for Planned Parenthood of the Rockies, and Catharine Wallace.

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The trio plans to revitalize the site by offering more progressive political information and tying the site’s content more directly to political action.

“I really want to be a hub for action which not only includes things like political actions and rallies and possibly boycotts but also a resource where people can go to find out what is going on tonight,” Fong said.

The new mission would see the site house events calendars and calls to action. It might also develop fundraising tools for progressive causes and candidates.

Part of a network of blogs in all 50 states, SquareState has been running for at least five years. The site was credentialed to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

But Fong said SquareState contributors have felt that energy and enthusiasm at the site had dwindled recently. And in fact, the site’s editors, John Erhardt and Aaron Silverstein, had taken on additional work. Erhart is a staffer on Romanoff’s campaign.

Asked how the new site would compare to insider progressive commentary site Coloradopols, she said that SquareState would run to the left of Pols and would be more accessible to neophyte politicos.

“It will be a place that is accessible to users with all levels of political knowledge,” Fong said. “No small group of people can make it work….It has to generate community involvement to make it work.”

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