To get the obvious out of the way, Hillary Clinton won the PA primary by 9%. Undoubtedly, the race continues despite the realities of delegate math -- even onto Oregon!

Last night, I had the pleasure of attending the annual Friends of the Forest Grove Library's Great American Speeches series. For the event, I was a panelist on the topic of "Election '08: From FoxNews to Facebook – How to Become a Well-informed Voter in the 24/7 News Era." I joined Michelle Cole of the Oregonian, John Schrag of the Forest Grove News-Times, and noted professor and political analyst Dr. Jim Moore.

For my part, I was filling in for Kari Chisholm of Blue Oregon, who was originally scheduled to take part in the forum before being recalled to a little event at the Clinton Library in Arkansas. The nerve!

The event was a lovely occasion: political activists and interested parties from Forest Grove and its surrounds turned out to hear the four of us discuss the topic at-hand and then engage in a town hall discussion. There were even Obama organizers! Swoon! For my part, I represented as a blogger, someone on the edge of the information revolution. Although I'm still relatively new to the medium, all things considered, I did my best to represent my positions and help cast the information discussion in context.

The entire evening was fascinating, but my favorite part came in an extended discussion about objectivity. Asked repeatedly whether there was such a thing as being purely objective, the entire panel agreed that, in politics, it just doesn't exist.

And, yes, Ayn Rand can shove it.

I mean, come on: I work in politics, and no one is objective. Sure, we use facts, but there's always some slight spin or coloring. Even voters pamphlets statements are a carefully-crafted tool of campaigns to best relay their core messages. Sure, individual statements can be relatively objective, but there's no silver bullet or single news aggregate that can give you everything without varnish.

And here's the thing about objectivity: that's just fine. It's not a big deal that it doesn't really exist. And that segways nicely into the evening's conclusion: it's up to each individual voter to do as much research as possible and make educated decisions according to whatever criteria is set. There are a lot of information outlets that exist: newspapers, blogs, candidates' speeches, etc. The beauty of the information age is that it's all out there, available for you to grasp. If you do your best faith effort, you'll probably do well in the ballot box, too.

And, in terms of bloggers, that's just so important. I'm not a damn journalist! I love and respect the great journalists who do such strong and thorough reporting, but I'm not here for that purpose. Sure, I'll investigate as-needed, and I'll offer two sides if I want to. But I'm here to offer an opinion that you can either take or leave. Blogging's nature is of opinion and advocacy.

Another fascinating conversation that came up was the fate of the newspaper, or more specifically its current business model. As it stands, newspapers across the country are failing. As people turn to blogs and news websites to get their information, the daily delivery of papers has dropped significantly and staff cutbacks are occurring everywhere. The kernel of the message came from John Schrag of the Forest Grove News-Times: if you want to see good, local reporting, support your local paper. Sure, the business model will be changing, but support your paper.

As for blogs, I'm pleased to see that they're becoming part of the nation's information tapestry, both in politics and in other venues. I can break a story faster than most television outlets, and I can offer a level of in-depth analysis that isn't as frequent from news aggregates. And, of course, I'm just a regular guy with a bias: I'll tell you as I see it. Sure, I support Sam Adams and Jeff Merkley, and I'm going to tell you why I support them. But blogs are collaborative tools. Disagree with me? Then hop into our comments and let's get talking. Live in Europe? No problem, the same applies.

Blogs can connect the world in an incredible way, and really can inform the voter about what regular people think world-over. And that's how this can be just one tool in a big toolbox for the average voter.

And, as a sidenote (mostly to Kevin Kamberg of Preemptive Karma): Forest Grove is damn gorgeous! I can see why you live out there. The drive is serene and you're really reminded just how rural Portland and Oregon can be in comparison to my old hometown, Los Angeles.