The B3A Project, Part 3: Who Are The Bloggers You Trust?
Things are brewing in the Bunker. Something interesting is strapped to the table, with little electric bolts buzzing up and down those rabbit ear thingies. Mysterious packages arrive at all hours of the night, delivered by veiled women bowed under the weight of a secret sorrow. Mutterings echo in the hallways. Unexplained glyphs materializing and disappearing as the chimes strike midnight. A raven has been sighted in the Hall of Heroes, bearing a strand of pearls and a laurel leaf…
Well, you get the point. Something’s coming.
You’ve already contributed to the first phase of this project in this thread. Now we’re looking for your input on the next phase.
Here’s your assignment.
We’re looking to compile a list of political bloggers whose integrity and intelligence you respect. Here are the guidelines:
- They don’t have to be the best known bloggers, the most popular bloggers, or even the most political bloggers. We want to know who you trust and respect.
- If the blogger you identify is is commonly associated with one side of the political spectrum, we request that you also name a blogger you trust on the OTHER side, whatever that might be. We’d like to get a wide spectrum of folks.
- Feel free to list as many as you want, but try to keep it balanced.
- Feel free to repeat suggestions others have made.
- Rhapsodize at length on the excellence of your nominee, or just provide their name/handle and URL. It’s up to you. We’re all about Max Flex here at the Bunker.
What’s up? This will come to fruition in September. Trust us.
The lines are open. Operators are standing by. Go.
Okay, I’ll bite.
Right Wing: Whoever writes the God of Copybook Headings.
Left Wing: James Bow
They’re both smart, articulate, and seem honest.
James Bow – gentleman and scholar (nuff said)
Carbuncle Redux – I don’t always agree with OC but I enjoy his writing and wit. He is blunt, rarely strident and honest.
Rational Reason and Converted – Mike is always open to a spirited discussion
Whooee! I ain’t got any problem namin’ a few pergressive boogers that I trust but I almost never read the boogin’ tories (blood pressure issues) so I can’t name 10 Con boogers much less know ‘em well enough to trust ‘em.
As far as trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous and kind pergressives, I sure as hell gotta name the Stageleft Bunker, Pogge Posse, Galopin’ Beavers, Steve V at Far an’ Wide, Scotty Tribe, Mike the libertarian, Jay the gay, Jamesy Bow, Bene Diction, Saskboy, BCer Jeff in TO and a whole lot more. Them’s just offa the top o’ my head.
A lotta them boogers I know fer sure I can trust on accounta some of ‘em know my super-secret true identity and they ain’t never once blabbed.
I’m sure there are a few trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous and kind Con’s but whenever I try readin’ or commentin’ at rightie boogs, I get slapped around. I been slapped around on a lefty boog or two, too, but I don’t bother with ‘em if they’re intolerant or illiterate or ignorant or too politically correct fer my way o’ writin’.
JB
James Bow jumped to mind before I even opened and read the comments.
There are times I’d consider Robert J. as the most trustworthy (although still inflamatory) conservative blogger active, although now and then I wonder what he’s thinking by writing what he does.
There’re more examples, but that’s all I have time to mention now.
Thanks for the vote of confidence JB!
I have the same problem JimBobby has — I almost never read the BTs, although I always find Coyne at least interesting and I consider him principled — does that count?
I would endorse all the progressives named above and, off the top of my head, start the list of very fine women political bloggers I respect: GDKitty at Hope and Onions, Alison at Creekside and the Beavers, kuri at Thought Interrupted, liberal catnip, Cathie from Canada, Idealistic Pragmatist, Berlynn at Politics’n'Poetry, pale and prole and 900-ft at Creative Revolution, Debra at April Reign, all the contributors to Birth Pangs, and oh damn I know I’m leaving people out.
I would add as well the crew at Canadian Cynic, Robert at My Blahg, and Red Tory, who just makes me laugh so much (and I like to feed his turtles).
Oh! JimBobby, of course, and Dr Dawg, and Chet Scoville at the Vanity Press.
SoCons:
So-Con or Bust
Stand Your Ground
Vote Life, Canada (although he blogs more at Contra|Dictions now)
JohnOnLife (actually, just pro-life, has many socially liberal views)
ProWomanProLife.org
Progressives
Abandoned Stuff
Scott’s Diatribes
Dawg’s Blog (even if I have dug into him a few times)
Facing Autism in New Brunswick
Yappa Ding Ding
liberal catnip
James Bow– good guy, but his blog isn’t always political.
BCer in Toronto
Neil McKenty– more of an open-line blog. Good format
Liberty in Canada
All available at OpinionsCanada.net (Shameless plug, I know)
There are other decent bloggers out there, but they don’t get into the blogreaders’ consciousness because they don’t blog as often as others.
Shmohawk.
Thanks for the mentions, everybody. I’m honoured.
In my case, in terms of the partisan bloggers, I’d trust:
Liberal: Calgary Grit
Conservative/Libertarian: Bob Tarantino (who unfortunately doesn’t post too often). Chris Taylor is another name I’d pick. I also respect Nunc Scio and Quotalatiousness and Candace at Waking up on Planet X.
New Democrat/Left: Idealistic Pragmatist — and, of course, you guys.
Green: Abandoned Stuff by Saskboy
I also like Jordon Cooper. He is nominally a Conservative (running against Ray Romanow during the first NDP victory after the fall of the Devine Conservatives), but isn’t very political, and his values strike me as quite centrist.
The frustrating thing is that many of the bloggers that I trust don’t post as often as some of the bloggers I don’t trust. But that may be a feature, not a bug. These guys have a sense of perspective, which often indicates that they have lives outside of blogging.
Oh, and mustn’t forget Dr. Dawg and the Vanity Press on the left.
Just for clarification: we don’t care about the volume of posting. We’re trying to identify folks that are trusted and respected by a large swath of bloggers, right across the political spectrum.
James from the Progressive Right use to be a Blogging Tory, and he is good and honest about things. He now lists at the progressive bloggers, but he is still a Blue/Red Tory.
Andrew from Bound by Gravity use to be on of the best, but he has given up.
Darcy from Dust my Broom, is good to, partisan at times, but I do find him open to debates and ideas.
Tim of TABaker, is a good and balance Conservative Blogger.
Candice from Planet X is also very good.
On the Left,
The Galloping Beaver
Impolitical (hardcore liberal, but very well written and polite and honest)
Scott Tribes
James Bowie
and,…
Garth Turner, yes he is a politician and partisan, but he is an interest mix of left, right and trouble maker. His blog is always interesting to read (even though it is heavily moderated [and you should see what he does allow through, wow, talk about major nasty])
Go for the name brands: on the left try MatthewGood, on the right DamianPenny.
I’m thinking, maybe Greens should be a separate category. Half the Greens I know are ex-Tories.
Terry Glavin has the best written blog out there – but I doubt many on the left still want him. Lots of other good bloggers of course.
I like “Crawl across the Ocean” – Declan, and “Idealistic Pragmatist” on the left.
The right write blogs?
BTW: Declan’s political views are, as he says, pretty non partisan, and he’s not been posting as much recently.
Apart from the ones already mentioned check out Mike over at Rational Reasons.
I don’t trust partisan politics at all. That isn’t to say that I don’t like and admire some political bloggers, but it’s usually for reasons other than their political views.
The political blogs I do like are the ones who take a running jump and stab the beast repeatedly with pointed sticks.
Like Zorpheous at The Wingnuterer.
red tory and eyedoc333.
don’t know any on the right that i could say i trust.
KEVron
When it comes to politics, trust really isn’t an issue. It’s a decision that’s based on why I bother exposing myself to media at all: for the purposes of information, education and entertainment. A political blogger I would trust would be one who does a decent job of all those three; bases the post on reputable sources of information, can help explain policy that is outside my field of expertise or interest, and can be a fun/interesting experience to read all around. Partisanship has little to do with it.
I can trust a particular blogger (even…*gasp*…Conservative or conservative ones) but find the blog repellent simply by the commenters the blogger attracts/indulges/panders to or alternately, censors. That unfortunately, is a problem with a lot of them (and disqualifies all the Blogging Tory blogs), which is why I haven’t bothered going out looking for new ones in a while, and can’t really think of any that haven’t been mentionned here.
I still rely on the mainstream media for serious political issues (you can’t discount access when it comes to politics, unfortunately) and rely on some political bloggers who seem to have a decent set of priorities for links to media I don’t follow regularly.
What I don’t rip off other bloggers (and their commenters), I just make up – so if you don’t trust me it’s hardly my fault, is it.
P.S. I don’t trust any of yuz.
Wow, thanks nasty and Treehugger.
I would add:
Dave et al at the Galloping Beaver. I’m a big fan of OC as well and of Ron Good from Northernsubverbia – Ron is a really good honest thinker and debater that really knows his stuff.
On the right, sadly, are few I trust. Andrew from BBG and Greg Staples have gone. and that’s a pity. Darcy at Dust My Broom is good, but I don’t get over there very often.
And yes the Canadian Cynic…CC, Lulu and PSA may be snarky, rude and nasty, but they are rarely, if ever, factually wrong.
Let me spin this all in a slightly different direction now.
Who’s opinion would trust as, let’s say, an evaluator of other bloggers? Who would you trust to deliver an objective assessment based upon pre-agreed criteria?
respect… the galloping beavers, jj hippie, team stageleft, chet scoville, red tory, dr.dawg, them pogges, a creative revolution, 900 ft.jesus, ross at gazetteer, mike at rational reasons and of course, james bow.
i don’t read too many conservative or right wing blogs. i do miss olaf, i didn’t necessarily agree with him but he seemed honest and sincere. dust my broom would be about the best of the right that i can think of off hand. oh. and you can always trust patrick to be a douche, if that helps.
blog assessing? depends what the pre-agreed criteria are and what the assessment is measuring. just as i am aware that my opinions and assessments are slanted by my personal outlook, i don’t know of any bloggers that are exactly objective. most bloggers function from within the confines of their own individual reality. hence, suzie all-caps places her trust in a pack of screaming loons like pacheco and surely wouldn’t trust me and mine (we say teh swears). are you putting out the blogging yellow pages?
I’d have to second the emotion of several others here concerning James Bow whose fair-minded equanimity is legendary. Joe Gandleman at The Moderate Voice is usually a reliable source of “fair and balanced” opinion, as to a somewhat lesser degree is Kevin Drum at Washington Monthly. Although far from being entirely objective, Bob Somerby at The Daily Howler is the absolute best at parsing media tropes, deconstructing political spin and holding the press corps to account. As for conservative opinion, one of my favourites (and they’re few and far between, sad to say) is Dennis the Peasant whose quite exceptional amongst bloggers on the right in that he actually has a wicked sense of humour (as does the inimitable Jon Swift, although I suspect his conservatism is largely facetious).
Oh, Jon Swift is a great conservative blogger who is trustworthy, when he isn’t taking long unannounced blogging holidays.
There are so many. (Thanks for the mentions, by the way!)
James Bow, obviously, a true gentleman. And mine host. And the CC crowd, and the pogge crowd, and chet and mattt. And Red Tory. And Dave. And Bene Diction, under-read and underappreciated, IMO. And the creative revolutionaries. Hell, the list just goes on and on. I could name about thirty more. Check out my blogroll–those people are there for a reason, and trust is a good part of it. There’s a lot of integrity and attention to detail in progressive ranks.
Wrt the Right, I agree with others about Dust My Broom. As usual, the commenters are over the top, but Darcey is a solid, salt-of-the-earth type person, even if he’s usually wrong about things. I’d give that guy my back. And Daimnation and Tarantino are right up there, no pun intended. Thoughtful, intelligent. I read Daimnation the most. I miss Olaf: I would have listed him were he with us. And Andrew. Candace and Kateland (Last Amazon) are honest sorts as well.
Centre? Scott Tribe.
Sui generis? Sir Francis at Dred Tory.
balbulican
Let me spin this all in a slightly different direction now.
Who’s opinion would trust as, let’s say, an evaluator of other bloggers? Who would you trust to deliver an objective assessment based upon pre-agreed criteria?
Kevin G Powell is extremely fair minded. Candace. Dazzlin Dino. And again, Mike.
[...] If you get some time, try and check out – StageLeft – where they are looking for Canada’s most trusted bloggers. Left, right, and Green (those are some of my [...]