Let me start by saying that I am not in any way uniquely qualified as a reviewer of content generated by political bloggers. But I pose the question... who is? Just like a person who offers a critique of a movie, everyone has his or her own tastes, and as such is qualified to render a valid opinion representative of at least one.
But I come to this topic because I'm continuing to monitor many different political blogs, but I see a sort of craziness and silliness erupting from some quarters now that the primary horserace is over.
So if you're a front pager, or a daily DKos blogger from the normal Recc list, or an A-list or a B-list blogger, or simply a person who submits diaries on many different blogs across the blogosphere... then follow me over the fold for some ideas, tips, advice (gulp), and hopefully some gentle criticisms.
First, take a break.
I'll say it again... take a break.
It's 2.5 months before the national nominating conventions. 5 months before the general election. It's an ideal time to take a break. If for you, that's a 3 day weekend at the beach then go for it. If it's a full fledged week long binge at Wally World, then do that. But it should be some uninterrupted time away from U.S. political news.
My personal suggestion is to go to the Developing World. If you can afford a ticket to El Salvador, South Africa, Northern Thailand, or Colombia then go there! I mention these spots because I have spent some time in these countries. I suppose you can go to the beaches in these countries as they have excellent ones, but if you can, then try to go to some common places. Average towns and cities. Speak with regular folk. And you'll be surprised about how much they know about American politics. At the same time, don't expect them to be enthralled by US politics.
Second, stop the daily grind. Forget about the news bit that sounds like the next "BREAKING" thing. Sit back and do some research. Try a long piece. Be analytical, not reactionary. If you have an idea that you think people must be alerted to, immediately, then you're probably on the wrong track. Take your time with a subject.
Third, and this is a golden rule with me, write complete essays and then trash them. Don't publish them. For every idea or essay that I write up and actually publish, there are 4 or 5 that die on the vine. If you find yourself publishing every idea you come up with, then believe me, you're boring people to tears with many of your pieces. Get your ego out of blogging. You may be a gifted writer, but you're not that great.
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Enough of the tips. Let me give you an example of some of the silliness going on. Marc Ambinder over on the Atlantic is a very gifted writer and a good solid analyst. He has come up with some great insights this political season. But check out his piece today on the resignation of Jim Johnson as one of the 3 vetters for Obama's VP choice...
In many respects, the times and the man just didn't jibe. Johnson is extremely well-liked and well-respected, and is a Washington insider, and a man very much identified with mortgages. And Obama is an outside-Washington change guy. The veep choice is extremely important.
Something changed; yesterday, this was a "game" and irrelevant; today, it was important enough to accept Johnson's resignation. Was he pushed? Did he resign voluntarily?
Will the team of lawyers that Johnson uses to vet the candidates -- the usual suspects who've done this for cycle after cycle -- stay on board? If not, what's the cost of finding a new team of trusted folks?
Republicans have their head. Payback time for all those folks who were forced to leave their positions on the McCain campaign. This war of attrition saddens folks in both camps.
A guy that few people know, who was given one task by Obama, and who wasn't on Obama's campaign before this, nor would be on his campaign after this, and is extremely unlikely to be part of an Obama administration, causes Marc Ambinder to go ballistic in his analysis.
What is that... 4 or 5 separate penetrating questions that Marc wants the answer to?
Based on Marc's tone, you might think that this will have critical impact on the general election. Oh, and by the way, who says "the veep choice is extremely important"? Is Marc the final arbiter? Are VP selections often hugely critical in elections? How did Bush I win with Dan Quayle?
I am making fun at Marc's expense but I don't mean it maliciously. I think he needs to follow some of the tips, above. He devoted a half dozen blog blurbs to the Jim Johnson story. Marc's out of gas. He needs a break and then probably return to some long piece ideas. Atlantic is one of the very best forums for that.
I, for one, think that the the liberal blogosphere does an excellent job at presenting political and election news. There are many, many great voices who do great work. I hope the above can be taken as constructive criticism. I only want to see the netroots community grow and thrive and succeed!