On a recent snowy Thursday afternoon, John F. Bowes 3d and Susan K. Haley sat across from each other at
"It's the new town square," said Haley, a member of the Hingham Democratic Town Committee.
But the impact of what they were doing has reverberated well beyond the town squares of the South Shore. The loosely organized blogging venture, which gets between 1,000 and 2,000 viewings a day, has become a presence in area political circles and beyond.
In July, BelowBoston.com posted an exclusive Barack Obama video that got national attention. Word had been circulating among the presidential candidates and national bloggers that Obama had referred to Hillary Clinton in a speech as "Bush Lite." But the controversy fizzled when a BelowBoston video of Obama's speech proved that, while Obama had used the phrase, he never mentioned Clinton.
Bowes, a member of the Marshfield Democratic Town Committee, along with Haley and Plymouth Democratic activist Janet Alfieri, started BelowBoston about two years ago to chronicle politics in Southeastern Massachusetts. They have developed a solid, local readership.
"I go on it once or twice a day," said Philip W. Johnston of Marshfield, former chairman of the state Democratic Party and still a top party leader.
"I find it very useful. It's refreshing. It's freewheeling."
In recent months, BelowBoston.com has shifted its attention to above Boston - New Hampshire and the parade of Democratic presidential candidates who have been in the state.
Bowes, 36, a computer specialist, and Haley, 47, a former flight attendant, have made dozens of trips to New Hampshire to interview the candidates and document their public appearances with video and audio recordings and blog postings.
Democratic candidates have been courting serious bloggers and typically have given them the same access and privileges as mainstream journalists.
So, the two BelowBoston.com activists, who have had no training or experience in journalism, find themselves working side-by-side with some of the country's noted reporters.
Haley recalls being stationed next to Joe Klein of Time magazine and Andrea Mitchell of NBC News at an outdoor Clinton event.
"We have two cheap cameras," Bowes said. "We have two of these," he said as he held up a digital voice recorder. "We have two laptops. We look kind of pathetic standing next to the CBS cameras."
While much of what is on BelowBoston.com might also be found on a traditional news-media site, the bloggers shun the journalistic principle of objectivity.
They are committed Democrats who also openly declare their favorites in the primary: Bowes is an organizer for Obama and Haley supports John Edwards.
The bloggers encourage opposing points of view and rarely censor posts from readers.
"They don't hesitate to criticize the governor or other Democrats," Johnston said.
The speeches, interviews, and question-and-answer sessions are posted unedited.
"It's an interactive medium," Bowes said. "Some people don't get that."
The website sometimes goes too far in its criticism, according to state Senator Robert L. Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican and frequent target of those posting comments on BelowBoston. He said he has been the subject of false statements and unfair attacks.
"They take some very wild shots," he said. "They like to hide behind their keyboards."
Hedlund, who hosts a radio show on WATD-FM in Marshfield, said he has asked Haley to appear on his program, but she has not responded. Haley said she was ill when Hedlund issued his invitation.
The bloggers said they like what they are doing, especially the immediacy it offers.
"It used to be you would write a letter and take it to the Post Office, and maybe they would run it," Haley said. "Now, you write something and post it and there it is."
One disappointment of their venture is that, so far, it has failed to earn them any money. They said someday they hope to attract advertising for the site.
For now, they forge ahead with the resources they have.
Bowes said it is often difficult for him to film Clinton or Obama because they have a tendency to pace on stage, and without a wide-angle camera lens, it can be difficult to keep them in view.
But the bloggers' doggedness has paid off in extensive footage of candidates at events all across the primary landscape. Bowes and Haley focused on New Hampshire last summer when most of the other Democratic political blogs in the state were concentrating on the special election in the 5th Congressional District.
"We saw an opportunity," Bowes said.
Local political junkies are glad they took it. Democratic state committeeman James M. Cantwell said BelowBoston's coverage of the New Hampshire race has helped connect local Democrats to the presidential contest.
"It has excited a lot of people who have been active for years but have forgotten the opportunity we have here with New Hampshire," Cantwell said.
"Our message," Haley said, "has been to show how easy it is to go up and see these candidates."
Robert Preer can be reached at preer@globe.com.
