(by 5 people)
What Makes Good Political Blogging?
There are a number of things that can make a political blog worth reading - not every blog has to remake the Democratic party as DailyKos has. This lens will quickly recap the blogs you should be familiar with - ones mainly pertinent to US politics. Then it will look at some lesser known blogs, including my own, who are aspiring to do something different.
Blog you should know #1: DailyKos
or, how to make enemies and influence people
If you haven't seen DailyKos before, you might want to do so now. The importance of this blog can't be understated: it not only has shifted the Democratic party to the Left and installed Howard Dean as chair, and has not only spawned like-minded sites, but is responsible directly and indirectly for much of the behavior one sees online. A good example of such behavior is at a site like Digg: an awful lot of bullying and cursing accompanies the front-page articles which claim Bush is worse than Hitler and conservatives are fascists.
I have argued that what is most significant/threatening about DailyKos is its "educative" function: it is creating a certain type of person who is hostile to deliberation, perhaps.
I have argued that what is most significant/threatening about DailyKos is its "educative" function: it is creating a certain type of person who is hostile to deliberation, perhaps.
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for the sake of giving your eyes a break
Her best work is at existention.org - please visit it.
#2: Blogs on the Right you should know
or, fighting the MSM and recasting issues
These blogs perform more diverse functions than DailyKos: the goal is not activism, but usually correcting the MSM (mainstream media) outright. With the libertarian blogs comes a focus on issues of law and policy that progressives should be ashamed they lack. There is very little in the progressive blogosphere as thorough or competent as some of the blogs below.
- Little Green Footballs
- The blog that brought down Dan Rather.
- Marginal Revolution
- One of the few places on the Web where you can find people willing and able to tell you why the Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded.
- The Volokh Conspiracy
- Law and policy with specific reference to judges' decisions in cases and studies taken. Can't be recommended enough.
- Michelle Malkin
- More MSM critique.
- Instapundit
- I should add Powerline and Iowahawk too, but I'm lazy.
Left vs. Right Blogs
Was the above description of Leftist blogs fair?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes
Ashok says:
Please don't bring up Crooked Timber or Juan Cole. They should not count as "left-wing," but as "scholarly." That they instead choose to be "rabidly and insanely left-wing" should not merit them any praise.
Posted January 29, 2008
No, there's more diversity to progressive blogs than you say
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#3: Blogs on the Left and Right (and inbetween) You Probably Don't Know
just as good, if not better than, the blogs above. visit them, please.
- Majikthise
- Too radical for my taste, but her entries are excellent. A good intro to this blog is her critique of the DailyKos book.
- Amy King
- An outstanding poet whose liberal politics cannot be separated from the sharpness of her thought. One of her poems is reviewed here.
- Will Wilkinson
- An outstanding libertarian blog - his humaneness, above all, informs his thoughts on policy.
- PTN
- Tons of fun. There's always a good debate occurring in the comments, and the variety of topics covered never ceases to amaze me.
- Gracchii
- Liberal, covers UK politics mainly, but his blogging on movies is what distinguishes him primarily.
- Sharon Loo
- Perhaps the most thoughtful observer of political life on the net, but only blogs occasionally. Her wit and ability to see the relevance of the past are displayed fully in this post on Machiavelli.
- Order vs. Disorder
- Josh's blog is always fun, but he posts earnestly and seriously about topics that need to be addressed honestly.
So What Makes Good Political Blogging?
or, this lens summarized, and a plug for my blog
What makes good political blogging is any number of things - you can be influential, you can critique others correctly, you can be informative and inspire good debate. I think you can see that happening in all the blogs listed above.
If you found this intro to political blogging helpful, or are wondering how I can make such snotty judgments about people, you might be interested in my own blog. You'll find a commentary on the Gettysburg Address there, an introduction to reading poetry via Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, a lot of posts on Emily Dickinson. I'm happy to introduce you to work people are producing now, but my own work centers on the past.
If you found this intro to political blogging helpful, or are wondering how I can make such snotty judgments about people, you might be interested in my own blog. You'll find a commentary on the Gettysburg Address there, an introduction to reading poetry via Shakespeare's Sonnet 73, a lot of posts on Emily Dickinson. I'm happy to introduce you to work people are producing now, but my own work centers on the past.
Ashok's Blog on Blogger
essential reading for educated people
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Please leave a comment, let me know if this lens was any good
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thomasz
Nice lens. Great info. Posted February 14, 2008 |
David
Just Dugg it Put on Favorites Thanks
Posted January 29, 2008
