I think a lot of people, including myself, tend not to trust politicians. They are often seen as puppets with their words being morphed into a "messages" from their party. I think the same is true for the messages we see from Fortune 500 executives. Rarely do we see the personality and nuance behind the "message". This keeps people like you and me from being able to trust them as quickly- and trust is what they need most.
I think that weblogs could offer some politicians a way to circumvent this perception and I'll be fascinated to see how/if it comes together.
In my mind, weblogs could offer politicians a tool for letting their constituents get to know them as a person- not just a talking head. They could use their weblog as a way to build more trust and acceptance- something that they desperately need.
Senator Gary Hart has a "real" weblog. Wired News reported in May that it is the first "true" weblog put up by a politician. The Howard Dean Campaign is also using an official weblog- but Dean is not the author. Both politicians are using Meetup as way to organize local events.
It will be really interesting to see if this starts a trend. Don't get me wrong, I don't think that simply putting up a weblog is all that significant- the proof is in the pudding. I'd like to think that a politician with the right kind of attitude and voice could appeal to people (via a weblog) on a level that isn't possible on whistle stop tours, debates and baby-kissing events.
Weblogs could help politicians appeal to people as a real live person- not just a puppet- and that is the one of the most powerful appeals there is, I think.