When I asked for suggestions on potential new guest bloggers -- those souls who blog on the weekends (Fri-Sun) and when I'm out of town -- I was shocked at the number of names offered. The quantity of quality writers available on this site is an embarrassment of riches.
So I knew that I had a wealth of candidates for guest blogging duties, but I also knew I would have to exclude a large number of committed, talented, extraordinary members of the Daily Kos community. My decisions should not be taken as rejection of any one person or another.
While I did not do so consciously, it was clear after my decisions were made that I had opted for experience. Call it loyalty, cite the comfort factor, or call it something else, but I opted for community members who had been around pre-Scoop. All of them had accounts at dKos within three days of the transition from Legacy Kos. Again, that wasn't the plan, but that's how it worked out.
I also refused to take sex, race, or creed into consideration. Each writer was chosen on their merits. I am sensitive to the lack of female voices on the front page, but given the surprising diversity of the front-page voices at this site over the past two+ years, I don't feel the need to apologize.
One important bit before I go on: I can't thank the outgoing crop of guest bloggers enough for their assistance over the past year -- DemFromCT, DHinMI, Meteor Blades, Tom Schaller, and Trapper John. They ably took over where Billmon, Steve Soto (Left Coaster) and Steve Gilliard left off. I have no doubt I couldn't have done it without them. I had to crawl across the finish line as it was. Without their skillful assists, I would've flamed out long ago. And they helped with no expectation of compensation, and for no greater glory than to spur great debates on this incredible site and its even more incredible audience.
Being a guest blogger is a lifetime affair. The current bunch may be riding off into the sunset, but they'll always be welcome on the site and on the frontpage. I suspect few, if any of them, will be making themselves scarce.
But time marches on, and it's the dawn of a new crop of guest writers. With your help, I picked some issues people, some contrarians, some long essayists and some quick wits. There's probably more controversy in this crew than in any in the past -- we've got people who like to tussle, and those sorts tend to create detractors.
But I loved all their abilities to spur that critical debate. Those detractors of this site who claim it's an "echo chamber" haven't spent more than a few minutes around these parts. Debate can be rough, and sometimes bloody, but I appreciate people who don't shy away from those battles, whether I agree with them or not.
Without further ado, the site's third crop of guest bloggers:
A Gilas Girl
Armando
DavidNYC
Hunter
Kid Oakland
They'll be reporting to duty this weekend, and I expect big things from them. Nothing different than what they have already been offering this community for years.