Posted on 06/18/2005 11:00:14 PM PDT by Pikamax
Best Political Blogs: DC Journalists Pick Their Favorites At the height of the 2004 presidential campaign, ABC’s “The Note” was the hot political Web site for the chattering class. The New Yorker anointed it as a “must read.”
But without the campaign’s constant political fodder, “The Note” has devolved into a daily caricature of itself. Click on it today and it opens with a series of questions and navel-gazing comments, followed by a list of links and schedules.
“It’s completely incomprehensible to anyone unless they work in politics,” says Garrett Graff, who covers media for FishbowlDC, part of Mediabistro. “For them it’s really great.”
In other words, “The Note’s” chattering class has been reduced to a chattering classroom.
While “The Note” has become an occasional drive-by for political junkies touring the Web, a fresh crop of blogs and Web sites now has become standard stops, according to an informal survey of Washington journalists.
William Beutler, who writes the daily Blogometer survey for “Hotline,” estimates there are 300,000 blogs and Web sites that devote themselves to political discourse. Of those, about 3,000 are “quality” sites.
“You cannot read 3,000 every day,” he says, “and you cannot read one and get the breadth of the debate.”
So here are the blogs and sites that are most interesting and informative, according to our informal poll.
“Hotline” is the gold standard of political Web sites. Congressional Quarterly’s site is comprehensive but still trails “Hotline” for pure energy, speed, and imagination. As an example, “Hotline” wrestled with the question of how to cover blogs; a month ago it created the Blogometer by Beutler.
“ ‘Hotline’ is irreplaceable,” says Brian Kelly, managing editor of U.S. News & World Report. “It has everything you want to know.”
But “Hotline,” which is not free, is also not really a blog. Among the pure blogs, these three stand out: “Daily Kos,” “Kausfiles,” and “TPMCafe.”
After the 2004 campaign, “Daily Kos” and “Kausfiles” have maintained their positions. “TPMCafe” is Joshua Micah Marshall’s creation, the new, new thing that made its debut May 31. Marshall has kept his blog, “Talking Points Memo,” but created this new site that posts essays and hosts varied conversations of a liberal persuasion.
“Having multiple blogs on one Web site is an emerging trend,” says Bill Beutler. “It is a form of branding.”
Here’s the sampling of regular reads on the Web:
Daily Kos: dailykos.com
This liberal blogsite identifies antiwar Republicans, creates list of “core” Democratic Party values, and shows that Tom DeLay is not the only Republican representative with his hand in the cookie jar.
Instapundit: instapundit.com
Glenn Reynolds surveys and links daily pundit chatter. Eclectic mix discusses a variety of topics, including brainiacs from India winning US spelling bees and Hollywood’s war against the digital generation.
Kausfiles: kausfiles.com
Iconoclast Mickey Kaus likes making fun of the world at large: One recent posting blasts the LA Times and discusses how the Democratic Party ignores its own flaws by pointing one castigating finger at John Kerry and one middle finger at “the mighty Bush machine.”
Power Line: powerlineblog.com
Trio of conservative lawyers lashes out at liberals of all stripes. Credited with breaking Rathergate and making CBS look like a nest of liberals.
Free Republic: freerepublic.com
The Free Republic blogsite offers an array of conservative opinions, from journalists and armchair politicians, with discussions ranging from Hillary Clinton’s “scams and scandals” to pudgy-people prejudice.
Eschaton: atrios.blogspot.com
Potty-mouthed liberal blogsite blasts George W. Bush but also Fox News, which, according to one blogger here, “so perfectly functions as an RNC puke funnel.”
Mystery Pollster: mysterypollster.com
Mark Blumenthal provides recent surveys and tries to explain the intricacies of political polling and its flaws.
More Soft Money Hard Law: moresoftmoneyhardlaw.com
Bob Bauer discusses money and politics and how they are (and shouldn’t be) such comfortable bedfellows.
MyDD: mydd.com
We’ve heard the anti-Bush “blood for oil” accusations. This site adds “Christ for corporate $.” Also, a liberal tries to sum up the Democratic Party’s problem: “Democrats too often (recently) start out with the question: “How do I win an election?,” and then structure policies accordingly: not with the question, “What kind of society do I want to create?”
Political Animal: washingtonmonthly.com
Washington Monthly writer Kevin Drum tilts well at many windmills, as in the tabloidization of the media and the “loons” hanging out at right-wing taverns.
Tapped: prospect.org/weblog
Online editorial stream from the American Prospect, the magazine of liberal ideas. Everything from riffs on the battle of the sexes to highminded apologies for Howard Dean’s exuberance.
RealClear Politics: realclearpolitics.com
The ultimate list of news links. Start here and tour the world of news and opinion. Journalists from around the country trade liberal and conservative viewpoints in an informative and moderate fashion, devoid of the rants so often found on blog sites too intensely right or left.
Little Green Footballs: littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog
Much discussion on Muslims in America as well as Amnesty International’s call for the arrest of Bush and Don Rumsfeld.
Hit & Run: reason.com/hitandrun
The libertarians behind Reason magazine strike back with moderate commentary on a variety of topics ranging from public television to Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.”
RedState: redstate.org
You guessed it: the basic Republican blog site. Conservative response to “Daily Kos” offers blogs blasting Dean and a women’s group that “hates good husbands.”
The Washington Note: thewashingtonnote.com
Liberal blogsite by Steven Clemons applauds Dean’s “risk-taking” and rants about John Bolton, John Bolton’s supporters, those people indifferent toward John Bolton, John Bolton’s detractors not detracting with enough fervor. . . .
White House Briefing: washingtonpost.com/whbriefing
Dan Froomkin provides a daily feed of news and views from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Links and Froomkin’s take on the news are a great launching point for Bush coverage.
Brad DeLong: j-bradford-delong.net/movable_type
Liberal Brad DeLong’s personal discourse on money and politics is part of the political press corps’ daily diet.
Captain’s Quarters: captainsquartersblog.com
Making its name in following Canadian politics, the conservative site accuses the Democratic Party of hypocrisy, claiming that while it roasts Tom DeLay over a sweltering fire of travel receipts, it ignores those burning in its own pockets.
If you want to stop at one place for a review of the blogs that review the blogs, pay up and go to “Hotline’s” Blogometer. Unless you are already overloaded.
Says U.S. News editor Kelly: “ ‘Hotline’ may have everything, but there are weeks I don’t want to know everything.”
No moveon.org?
Free Republic: freerepublic.com
The Free Republic blogsite offers an array of conservative opinions, from journalists and armchair politicians, with discussions ranging from Hillary Clinton’s “scams and scandals” to pudgy-people prejudice.
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pudgy-people prejudice?
I'll have you know I've lost 20 pounds since the election. ;-P
I could use a new armchair tho. the old one collapsed before I lost the weight. :)
What are you doing with an armchair? Are you a quarterback?
Nope, Tight end, well, used to be anyway. ;-)
Can't forget http://www.jihadwatch.org
Never heard of an armchair tight end but your new position makes more sense, armchair loose end. :-)
lol
I just wish folks would quit calling FR a blog.
It is a unique critter of a forum and should be acknowledged as such by FRiends and foes alike.
Well, we are lucky to be mentioned by that bunch. We shouldn't expect honest appraisal from the enemy.
True.
have a good one. must sleep.
"I just wish folks would quit calling FR a blog.
It is a unique critter of a forum and should be acknowledged as such by FRiends and foes alike."
http://www.truthlaidbear.com/TrafficRanking.php
The link above is competing for the best blog compendium and ranking system going.
http://beta.technorati.com/pop/blogs/
Is a close second, having been dethroned early last year by truthlaidbare.
This is an interesting list- but it shows that the word blog does not have much of a standard. Kraus is a column on Slate that is updated two or three times a week, while Free Republic might be considered 50 blogs run by a combination of professionals and amatuers. As to RealClear, they are more like Drudge than a Powerline blog. Another sloppy writing job from the Paid Journalist - who thinks he/they are better than blogs.
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