March 30, 2005

3/30: We're (Finally) Reading The Blogs So You Don't Have To

Today The Hotline begins an experiment: a daily survey of what's going on and what's being said in the "blogosphere," particularly the unknown thousands of weblogs that follow -- and in some notable cases influence -- U.S. politics and media. We're calling it our Blogometer (say it like "thermometer"). The format may evolve as the online debate evolves and starts new discussions, but our goal will be always to provide a daily snapshot of what people are blogging about.

Right now, three primary features comprise our coverage:

Each day we'll start with a summary paragraph explaining what's happened in the blogosphere in the last 24 hours. If the discussions are scattered, we'll keep it short and let the coverage do the talking. If there's something new happening, we'll try to explain the back story as succinctly as possible. Today it's called "Pajama Party" -- and we mean that in the best way -- but if something works better, we'll change it.

First, we will point out which stories from the mainstream media or MSM are drawing particular attention among the bloggers. In this section we will provide a link to the original story, a brief description of what it is about, and then links to various sites offering comment. We're calling it "Trackbacks," after a common weblog feature that shows which sites have linked to a particular post.

The second, and most extensive part of our coverage will be the product of our surfing around from blog to blog, pointing out what controversies are bubbling up and which sides the better-known bloggers are taking. These will be grouped by category and will in all likelihood include different stories each day, not unlike the main Hotline document. Sure to be a frequent category -- though not here in this inaugural edition -- will be "BLOGS VS. MSM."

A few notes on style:

Boldface-italics: We'll use this style to identify the name of a blog, and because few of these blogs are household names even in political circles, we'll use the style each time the blog is named. This style is also appropriate because often it's difficult to tell where the person blogging ends and the blogging persona begins.Boldface and Italics: These represent people and print sources just as in the rest of the Hotline. When a person's name is also the name of their blog, we'll stick to simple boldface, as the name of their blog is likely revealed in the URL at the end of the sentence.

We will try to accurately characterize the political leanings of these weblogs, using essentially neutral words and phrases such as "conservative," "liberal," "lefty," "righty," "right-leaning," and "left-leaning." If you feel we've mischaracterized anyone's inclinations, let us know and we'll take a closer look next time.

Questions, comments, reservations? Drop us a line.

PAJAMA PARTY: A Close Schiavo

As has been the case for the past week, the preeminent discussion on weblogs both right and left is the fight over Terri Schiavo. The early-morning decision by the 11th Circuit to hold another hearing lifted the hopes of "pro-tube" conservatives, but also getting ink (or pixels) is an eagerly-awaited take on a disputed memorandum by the Washington Post's Kurtz. There is a minor furor on the right re: a recent column by the NYT's Krugman, but otherwise the Schiavo case and its various subcontroversies are sucking up all the oxygen.

TRACKBACKS: Everybody Kurtz

Where the blog swarm is headed, who's taking part, and what they're saying:

• Village Voice's Hentoff: "For all the world to see, a 41-year-old woman, who has committed no crime, will die of dehydration and starvation in the longest public execution in American history" [link]. Conservatives are quick to embrace this support from the left; liberals point out that Hentoff's right-to-life views are not news. Linking to Hentoff: The Corner; Myopic Zeal.

  >> Left-leaning UCLA prof Mark A.R. Kleiman: "I see Nat Hentoff and Jesse Jackson have joined the feed-Terri forces, which already included Ralph Nader, Randall Terry, Rush Limbaugh, Bo Gritz, Sean Hannity, and James Dobson. Now if we can just get Alexander Cockburn and Al Sharpton to join in, we'll have a left-right coalition embodying the very cream of the nation's loudmouth dimwitted self-promoting busybodies" [http://www.markarkleiman.com/archives/schiavo_/2005/03/allstar_team.php]

  >> Right-leaning Tom Maguire includes it in a "Liberals For Terri" roundup, along with the recently-founded http://liberalsforterri.blogspot.com [http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2005/03/liberals_for_te.html].

• Conservatives have been after Kurtz for several days to expand on recent coverage of the alleged GOP talking points memo on Schiavo being "good politics." Kurtz: "While there is no hard evidence that the memo is fake, there are several strange things about it, including the basic fact that no one seems to know who wrote it and that the noncontroversial part of it is lifted from a Republican senator's press release," but he mostly punts. Among the linkers: Michelle Malkin; Hedgehog Report; LaShawn Barber's Corner.

  >> Conservative Captain's Quarters: "Kurtz once again acts as an apologist rather than an objective news critic, yet another disappointment he can add to his non-coverage of the Eason Jordan scandal" [http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004185.php]

  >> Liberal MyDD: "I can't believe how much effort the wingers are putting into disproving a total non-story." [http://www.mydd.com/story/2005/3/29/203928/714]

• Still popular 24 hours after publication, Kurtz's self-evident "College Faculties A Most Liberal Lot, Study Finds" draws the interest from all over -- "duhs" from the right, assent from the centrists, and some derision from the left. Linking: Althouse; Centerfield; Ace of Spades HQ; PrestoPundit; Betsy's Page; "Wonkette".

  >> Righty Todd Zywicki: "The evidence is mounting that there is an ideological one-sidedness to university campuses today. The relevant question is whether it is having an effect on the education of American college students ... I hear from many of my own students [that] university campuses have become so cartoonishly left-wing that many students are essentially just tuning out their professors" [http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2005_03_27-2005_04_02.shtml#1112111400].

  >> Lefty Ezra Klein: "So in places where intelligent, informed people work, many of them turn out to be liberal. At the places the most intelligent and informed people work, even more of them turn out to be liberal. And so we scratch our heads and wonder about bias? Why?" [http://ezraklein.typepad.com/blog/2005/03/why_professors_.html].

• Also sticking around for a second day is the NYT's similarly self-evident "List of Schiavo Donors Will Be Sold by Direct-Marketing Firm" [link]. No one approves, but the left is more vocal: Pandagon; Balloon Juice; World O' Crap; Tapped.

  >> Headline at right-leaning A Small Victory: "If Only Cynicism Was A Virtue" [http://asmallvictory.net/archives/008547.html]

  >> Lefty Whiskey Bar: imagines a Nov. '05 Bloomberg Market Wrap: "Schiavo Enterprises (ticker: TERRI) today reported an earnings increase of 8 cents a share for the third quarter, 3 cents higher than the consensus estimate. In Nasdaq trading, shares rose to $43, from $40 at Thursday's close" [http://billmon.org/archives/001788.html].

• A report from the Christian Science Monitor [link] on the collapse of the Kyrgyzstan government draws links almost exclusively from right-of-center bloggers: Outside the Beltway; Chrenkoff; Instapundit; Pejmanesque.

  >> Moderate Joe Gandelman: "Putin won't go with the flow. In subtle or non-subtle ways he'll circle the wagon trains -- but there are some teeny-weenie problems with circular firing squads..." [http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1112183582.shtml].

SCHIAVO: The 11th Circuit Hour

Conservative Ed Morrissey, on the 11th Circuit's decision to review the Schiavo case once again: "I presume the basis of this appeal pertains to the emergency law passed by Congress demanding a de novo approach to the case in federal court, a law that Judge Whittemore completely disregarded in his action. ... Let's hope they get it right this time, and quickly" [http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/004187.php]

Ace of Spaces HQ on the same: "I'm not religious, but I am actually praying this hearing is fruitful for once, and that it's not too late. If she dies while these assholes dither and dick around.... What. A. Travesty." [http://ace.mu.nu/archives/073354.php].

Lefty Kos posts an example of what the hate mongers who buy such lists" as the Schiavo donor list (as noted above), direct mail from VA activist/Loudon Co. Supv. Eugene Delgaudio: "Dear fellow conservative, Tonight, after a long day of fighting the Radical Homosexuals, I just feel exhausted." Full text in the post [http://dailykos.com/story/2005/3/29/191914/848]

Last night CBS accidentally reported that Schiavo had died. Conservative radio talker has the erroneous report in PDF format [http://www.glennbeck.com/news/03-29-05/printable683.pdf].

Several left-leaning blogs including Eschaton link to a Media Matters transcript wherein a neurologist who examined Terri Schiavo "confronts" MSNBC's Scarborough over her true medical condition [http://mediamatters.org/items/200503290005].

PARTY POLITICS: Moving On To Other Issues?

NewDonkey notes an esssay by the Weekly Standard's Kristol on judges in the Schiavo case and speculates: "How, you may wonder, is the Republican Party going to extricate itself from the political and legal thicket it entered through its forceful and feckless intervention in the Terri Schiavo case? Well ... you go back on the offensive by pivoting to the next big GOP outrage, the 'nuclear option' for forcing George W. Bush's judicial nominees through the Senate, and you use the Schiavo case as a reason for doing it" [http://www.newdonkey.com/2005/03/nuclear-trigger.html]

Social Security-focused liberal Josh Marshall, on the Club For Growth TV spot criticizing Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) for being open to a payroll-tax increase for Social Security: "Ahhh ... A thing of beauty, the first signs of the intra-phase-out-camp free-fire zone" [http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/week_2005_03_27.php#005273].

Dem blogger Oliver Willis: "In the blogosphere, you have almost a reverse dynamic to that found in the media. Overwhelmingly liberal bloggers identify themselves directly as Democrats. ... But among bloggers on the right, it always seems that great pains are taken to make it clear that they are "independents" or "libertarians" - these are people who usually endorse much of the GOP agenda and reliably vote for Republicans ... it begs the question, are Democrats simply prouder of the Democratic party and what it stands for -- for all the handwringing of "where do we stand" could it be that the donkey triumphs over the pachyderm? I think so" [http://www.oliverwillis.com/node/2229].

APOSTASIES: Loyalty Test

Right-leaning LGF notes a CAIR release: "The Council on American-Islamic Relations is crowing tonight about forcing National Review Online to remove advertisements for books critical of Islam." The release states, NR "apparently removed advertisements for two virulently anti-Muslim books attacking the Prophet Muhammad from its online store" [http://littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/?entry=15242_National_Review_Caves_in_to_CAIR&only=yes"].

Left-leaning Marc Cooper: "You really have to feel for Jesse Jackson. Imagine the burning moral anguish experienced by The Reverend -- as his staff calls him - when he had to weigh the pros and cons of staying on as spiritual advisor to oppression victim Michael Jackson. Or instead, should he swoop in for a last minute stand with Terry Randall and Terry Schiavo?" [http://marccooper.typepad.com/marccooper/2005/03/somewhere_over_.html]

FEC: Both Sides Are Wary Of A Crackdown

Liberal Daily Kos contributor acbonin, on the FEC regulations: "Mike Krempasky of RedState.org, by the way, has been a godsend in reporting on these issues. These are issues on which the online right and left are much aligned. ... I have been engaged to represent DailyKos, Eschaton and The Blogging of the President to analyze the proposed regulations and prepare their formal response" [http://dailykos.com/story/2005/3/29/14451/2933].

CAMPAIGNS: E-Dole Is No E-Pro

From Blogs for Bush: "Today is Wictory Wednesday. Every Wednesday, hundreds of bloggers ask their readers to donate to an important Republican campaign." Also: "Winning elections does matter; every seat does count. That's why you should donate to the 2006 Senate re-election campaign of Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)" [http://www.blogsforbush.com/mt/archives/004100.html]

Pro-Rep. Mark Kennedy MN bloggers TBFKADVK: "Elizabeth Dole does not seem nearly as motivated in her new role" at the NRSC as '02 chair Sen. Allen. "Superior messaging can cover a multitude of sins but strong candidates are needed against extremely vulnerable Democratic incumbents in WA, MI and other states if the Republican majority is to be expanded. We can only hope such murmurings will serve as motivation for the otherwise gifted Mrs. Dole" [http://daytonvkennedy.blogspot.com/2005/03/on-dole.html]

IN THE STATES: We're Not Blog-Worthy!

TN State Sen. Stacey Campfield (R) has "offended" Dem members of the TN Legis., who say his blog is "unfair, full of malicious attacks ... and a violation of the decorum required of lawmakers." He uses the blog to "poke fun" at House Speaker John Wilder (D) and says he "won't stop, promising 'to keep pulling back the curtain'": "A lot of people are just scared that what they don't want exposed will be exposed."

In a recent rules hearing, Rep. Jere Hargrove (D) said to Campfield: "You are impugning the character of everybody down here that happens to be a little bit different than you. ... If I provide you with material as scandalous and scurrilous as [an unspecified post] that attacks friends of yours, will you put that in this thing?" Campfield: "I might -- I'd have to see what it is. Maybe it's not blogworthy." Hargrove: "Well, let me tell you, this isn't outhouse-worthy" (Gouras, AP/Knoxville News, 3/30).

Campfield's blog can be found at: http://lastcar.blogspot.com/

MISCELLANY: Some Of This, Some Of That

Conservative columnist Michelle Malkin trades e-mails with the NYT's Kristof about "claim that the number of abortions has increased since President Bush took office" [http://michellemalkin.com/archives/001918.htm].

Centrist Andrew Sullivan links to a "smart" New York profile of Karl Rove, and comments: "I almost look forward to Rove running Bill Frist for president next time around" [http://www.andrewsullivan.com/index.php?dish_inc=archives/2005_03_27_dish_archive.html#111211176802050984].

Liberal Duncan Black, on SoCA real estate prices: "I'm meandering here and perhaps I don't actually have a point. To sum up: O.C. -- Not what you think! Laguna Beach -- property rich/income poor! Housing bubble? shhhh!! Prop. 13 -- wack!" [http://atrios.blogspot.com/2005_03_27_atrios_archive.html#111215441609733610]

KRUGMAN: I Can Do The Krug, I Can Do The Robocop

Conservative radio talker Hugh Hewitt: "RightwingNuthouse wonders if Paul Krugman is insane. The prompt for this inquiry? Krugman's morning column in the New York Times where he suggests that 'liberal politicians, and even conservatives who aren't sufficiently hard-line' will soon have to fear assassination from the religious right 'unless moderates take a stand against the growing power of domestic extremists'" [http://hughhewitt.com/index.htm#postid1500].

WSJ's James Taranto: "If Krugman and the New York Times want to combat extremism, a good way to start would be to refrain from loose talk about political violence" [http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110006486].

Righty Don Luskin wonders if Princeton's affiliation with Krugman and Cornell West contributed to its fundraising falling by 45%, or about $100M [http://poorandstupid.com/2005_03_27_chronArchive.asp#111212350517461500].

SAJAK: In Cyberspace, The Vowels Are Free

New York Post's Kaplan reports, "Wheel of Fortune" host Pat Sajak is posting "essays he's written about politics every few days" on http://patsajak.com. Sack's "riffs on a wide range of hot-button issues, ranging from slanted journalism, O.J. Simpson, and the U.N." from a conservative point of view. He "also writes about baseball, a subject near and dear to his heart, as he is an investor in a minor league independent baseball league" (3/30).

Note: Sajak's "blog" is not actually a blog, just a personal website with a "Sajak Says..." page (Hotline just saying).

HUFFINGTON: Don't Call It A Comeback

Center-left BuzzMachine calls liberal activist Arianna Huffington's plans to start a Salon/Slate-like web-zine "one of the worst-kept secrets around." He quotes from an online news story that its contributors will inbclude "Sen. Jon Corzine, Larry David, Barry Diller, Tom Freston, David Geffen, Vernon Jordan, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Harry Evans and his wife, Tina Brown. That's just to name a few, and Huffington is still recruiting" [http://www.buzzmachine.com/archives/2005_03_30.html#009375].

LEST WE FORGET: From Cheerleaders To Chomskyleaders

Conservative IowaHawk uses the debate over liberal academia to imagine "Profs Gone Wild: Extreme Ultimate Spring Break Volume 6":

"Snoop: Hey dog, where you teach?

Professor #1: Michigan ... Go Blue! Beat the Buckeye Zionist Tools!"

[http://iowahawk.typepad.com/iowahawk/2005/03/profs_gone_wild_1.html].

Posted by at March 30, 2005 12:00 PM