February 05, 2009

BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: David Sirota

Today we're reintroducing an old Blogometer feature called "Blogger Spotlight," in which we interview various bloggers from across the political spectrum. Our first interview is David Sirota, who recently became a full-time blogger at Open Left.

(If you're looking for Thursday's edition of Blogometer, click here).

Where did you grow up?
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania

Where do you live now?
Denver, CO

If you have an occupation other than blogging, what is it?
Syndicated columnist/author

What's on your iPod right now?
Nick Drake -- lots of it

What's the last book you read?
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

When did you start blogging and why?
March 2004 -- the Democratic primary was just ending and I wanted an outlet to do some unvarnished, from-the-gut writing.

What has been your favorite blog post, or your favorite story to write about?
I like to write about the economic issues that the media and blogosphere sometimes forget -- trade, globalization, wages, etc. They are the kitchen table issues that aren't all that "sexy" but which are the actual issues that impact our economy the most.

Which blogger(s) do you consider indispensable, if any?
Glenn Greenwald for his take-no-prisoners brilliance, Duncan Black for his biting sarcasm

Who's your favorite non-liberal blogger?
I don't know if they are liberal or conservative (or neither) but I love MTV's movie blog: http://moviesblog.mtv.com

Who's your favorite active politician?
Favorite is my first political boss, [VT Sen.] Bernie Sanders.

What would you realistically like to see Democrats accomplish in 2009?
I'd like to see them pass a progressive economic stimulus bill, some trade reforms, and an expansion of health care in the direction of universal health care. I think that's entirely realistic, if not the absolute minimum that they can/should do.

What issue keeps you up at night?
Death, a bad stomach and the prospect of one day waking up and having no job and being foreclosed on.

Posted by Ian Faerstein at February 5, 2009 03:16 PM