Bloggasm

Simon Owens: Which conservative bloggers do you think create the most spin? And if you had to pick a conservative blogger to label a worthy adversary, which blogger would that be?

Greg Saunders: Glenn Reynolds. Most conservative bloggers wear their heart on their sleeve enough that you know to take their words with a grain of salt, but Glenn’s not only high-profile, but he’s somehow convinced people that he’s the John McCain of the blogosphere. On the rare occasions that he does disagree with the GOP, he dresses it up in a “I didn’t leave them, they left me” sort of attitude as if his conservative principles are carved in stone, but like McCain, he’s a hyper-partisan who uses faux-toughness as his schtick.

SO: And if you had to pick a conservative blogger to label a worthy adversary, which blogger would that be?

GS: I dunno if I’d use the word “adversary”, but John Cole of Balloon Juice, Professor Bainbridge, and Eugene Volkh all seem smart enough to have a good discussion with and reasonable enough to listen to dissenting views without throwing a temper tantrum. We probably wouldn’t agree on much, but I could at least listen to them without throwing up.

SO: How frustrated are you with the Democrats and do you think they should be tougher during campaign season?

GS: Very frustrated. I just read this morning that Harry Reid sent a note of apology to Republicans for pointing out that they’re corrupt. Is this how he took down the mob in Vegas? By tiptoeing around the bruised feelings of ciminals? Real tough guys don’t apologize for being right. Crap like this is the reason liberals are seen as weak and ineffective. Is it any wonder why the most inspiring Democrats are the ones who don’t have to worry about being reelected?

SO: Do you think a liberal frustration with the Democratic party will lead to more third-party votes in 2008?

GS: I really, really hope not. Like it or not, we’ve got a two-party system in this country. Our electoral process, which employs a first-past-the-post election system, makes this polarization inevitable. This is known as Duverger’s Law. The unfortunate result of this is that third parties are naturally going to be spoilers. It’s sad that so many third-party supporters are so drunk on their own ideological purity that they can’t see how counter-productive they’re being. If you want to make third parties viable in this country, you’d be better off fighting for the kind of electoral reforms that would make ensure a Green Party vote isn’t a de facto vote for the GOP. Third party candidacies can be used as a means towards those ends by pressuring the Democrats into becoming champions for elecctoral reform, they aren’t a good solution for frustrated liberals who are pissed at the Democrats.

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

GS: Only five? Hmmm….Digby, TPM, Crooks & Liars (who doesn’t get enough kudos for his non-video posts, btw), Atrios, and Firedoglake are good places to start, but you should read a lot more than that if you want to put your finger on the pulse of the liberal blogosphere.

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