TAMPA AREA BLOGGER GUESTS ON CHAT SHOW

It was nice to see Jim Johnson, author of the conservative-leaning Tampa blog The State of Sunshine, as one of the guests Sunday with Brendan McLaughlin on WFTS-TV 28's weekly public affairs show Flashpoint. Jim and USF political science professor Dr. Susan McManus discussed several state and Bay Area issues: The popularity of Governor Charlie Crist, Speaker of the House Marco Rubio, the debate over renewing the Pennies for Pinellas sales tax, and last week's municipal election in Tampa.

Jim did quite well on-air, and it's a good sign that the better political bloggers are beginning to earn the respect of the "mainstream" media. Let's hope we see more of Jim and other of our better bloggers represented.