Bloggasm

Simon Owens: Do you think your experience in the military affects your politics at all?

David Gulliver: Yes and no. I grew up in a military family. My Dad spent 30 years in the Navy. Both my older brothers joined the military before me. So I had already been exposed to a lot of military matters that helped shape my worldview long before I myself joined up. My experience in the military therefore didn’t so much affect my political beliefs as reinforce the beliefs I already had.

SO: Which liberal political blogs provide the most unbalanced spin? Is there a liberal political blog out there you’d consider a worthy adversary?

DG: There are liberal blogs with unbalanced spin?

Seriously, I think if your blog is self-described as “liberal” or “progressive,” there is little chance that anything you produce is worth reading. This is not to say that I am closed-minded to opposing points of view. I just think that there are intelligent opposing points of view, and ignorant opposing points of view. I read a number of blogs from the Libertarian perspective, which is often at odds with the Republican perspective. And amongst Republicans, there is a lot of room for difference of opinion–heck, our party has Arnold and Rudy as well as Cheney and Rumsfeld! I can get all the arguments for and against practically any policy decision without resorting to reading a liberal blog. About the only argument you’ll find on a liberal blog is that, no matter what the subject matter, somehow it is Bush’s fault. That’s simply not useful information.

SO: Bush’s second term has been full of failed policies that haven’t made it past congress. Do you think that this has hurt his chance at creating a legacy?

DG: Now there’s a loaded question!

Why do you assume the failure is Bush’s? The liberal media likes to boast about Bush’s low poll numbers. But what you never hear on a mainstream news source is that, in virtually every poll, Congress–especially Congressional Democrats–poll significantly lower than Bush. I think the people realize that Congress, despite being numerically Republican, is still liberal, especially in the Senate. I think people elect Presidents to get things done, and are getting upset that the Congress has done nothing but get in the way. I predict a huge win for conservative Republicans in the 2006 elections, and a mandate for Congress to get behind the President.

SO: What are the five blogs everyone should be reading (besides your own)?

DG: Knowledge is Power, for views from some very untraditional conservative republicans, along with edgy humor and social commentary;

FARK, even though it isn’t really a blog per se, but it is a great way to find out about interesting and entertaining news stories that you would otherwise never see;

Michelle Malkin, who does an excellent job of digging up the untold story on the big news of the day;

NW Republican, which is more of a local than a national blog, but often has some of the best insider information into conservative politics;

and, oh, what the hell, Instapundit, because if I don’t plug Glenn Reynolds, I fear for my life.

You can find Resistance is Futile! over here