Unlike other awards which seek to manipulate it's audience by building up to the "Bestest of the Best" title, we're going to cut to the chase and start at the top. Once again, the purpose here is to trim the field to seven to ten finalists, but as someone out there deemed each of these to be their favorite, each is worthy of a visit by Lefty readers.
The category seeks to recognize the best overall work across the entire year, in writing, focus, relevance, accessibility, etc. In other word, who do you consider indispensable?
The nominees this year are:
Posted by MB Williams at January 4, 2004 08:08 AM | TrackBackIndispensable for me personally:
- Alas
- Body & Soul
- Calpundit
- Dohiyi Mir
- Eschaton
- Left I on the News
- Rittenhouse Review
- Ruminate This
- Steve Gilliard
- Suburban Guerrilla
- WTF Is It Now?
- Whiskey Bar
At least 10 others you list are on my regular blogroll, though. I don't envy y'all narrowing that one down!
Posted by: Elayne Riggs at January 4, 2004 01:20 PMThe great eight, IMHO:
Eschaton
Talking Points Memo
Daily Kos
CalPundit
Whiskey Bar
Counterspin
Talk Left
Liberal Oasis
Subjectively indispensable to me (in no particular order): Calpundit, Daily Kos, Dohiyi Mir, Eschaton, Orcinus, Steve Gilliard, Talking Points Memo, Talk Left.
Posted by: Norbizness at January 4, 2004 02:11 PMMy list:
Alas A Blog
Brad DeLong
CalPundit
Eschaton
Matt Yglesias
Nathan Newman
Orcinus
Talk Left
Though many of the others are great as well. These are just a little bit better.
Posted by: Kristjan Wager at January 4, 2004 02:33 PMDaily Kos - Has become more than a blog, a movement.
Whiskey Bar - Indispensable chronicler of the ever-changing storyline.
Nathan Newman - Best labor issue posts.
Orcinus - Where would we be without Rush, Newspeak, and Fascism? Should definitely get a best series nod for that.
That's as far down as I could narrow it, being very harsh with myself. I don't envy you guys having to pick just one.
Posted by: natasha at January 4, 2004 02:54 PMBoy, this is tough. So I'll do it strictly by arbitrary or "desert island" standards.
First, I'll eliminate TAPPED, Matt and Alterman, 'cause they all get paid. It should be amateur-only in the blogging Olympics.
Then I'd take out Talking Points Memo because Josh compromised his amateur status via "The Hill" and the Washington Monthly.
Brad DeLong and Nathan Newman are wonderful but too narrowly focused.
There are many people I really like but for whatever reason, don't read very often. After I subtract them, here's who I'd need on my desert island:
Atrios/Eschaton/Sid Blumenthal
Rittenhouse Review/the "other" J.C.
TBOGG
Hullabaloo/Digby
Roger Ailes
Whiskey Bar/Billmon
CalPundit/Kevin Drum
Dohiyi Mir/NTodd
Liberal Oasis
I'm already there, of course. It's my island.
Posted by: Susie at January 4, 2004 03:36 PM
Don't see how these four could fail to make the finals:
CalPundit
Talking Points Memo
Daily Kos
Atrios
There's a lot of these I read regularly or even daily, but only two that I read at least 3 times a day.
Talk Left
Eschaton
My short list of 7:
Alas A Blog
Body and Soul
Brad DeLong
CalPundit
Nathan Newman
Orcinus
Talk Left
How could I have forgotten to add Daily Kos and the Daily Howler? Mea culpa.
Posted by: Susie at January 4, 2004 05:54 PMMy Gang of Four:
Eschaton
Calpundit
Whiskey Bar
Daily Kos
Plus I have three more that aren't
on your list.
My list is:
Eschaton
DailyKos
Matt Yglesias
CalPundit
Counterspin
Dialy Howler
Tbogg
Whiskey Bar
dKos, Billmon, Atrios are the ones I visit more than once a day. I mourn the loss of PLA and rejoice that you've found this new home.
Posted by: plunkitt at January 4, 2004 08:01 PMAbsolute must reads for me are:
Bartcop
Daily Howler
Counterspin
Daily Kos
Eschaton
Juan Cole
Orcinus
Politics in the Zeros
Talking Points
All of the ones you listed are great, especially Wampum, and all deserve the prize.
Of this list, the blogs that inform and uplift me so I get to them on a daily basis, are:
Bartcop
Daily Howler
Orcinus
The Rittenhouse Review
Talking Points Memo
Tbogg
WTF Is It Now?
I have a large list of readables and resources, but I don't have a lot of time to read, so don't get to them as often as I'd like.
Posted by: Ginger Mayerson at January 4, 2004 09:14 PMEschaton
My daily reads:
Kos
Atrios
Tapped
TPM
Billmon
CalPundit
As one who only started blogging this past October, I'm surprised and honored to find my blog nominated. Not to mention awed by the company I'm in.
Posted by: Terrance at January 5, 2004 09:18 AMMy must reads:
The Daily Howler
Altercation
Talking Points Memo
Eschaton
Daily Kos
Roger Ailes
Wow. These are all great. It's hard to winnow it down. I never miss a day reading any of the following. They're that good.
Body and Soul
Eschaton
Hullabaloo
Orcinus
Talking Points Memo
Talk Left
Tapped
Whiskey Bar
My daily indispensible fix:
Body and Soul
Calpundit
Counterspin
Daily Kos
Eschaton
Steve Gilliard
Talking Points
Whiskey Bar
I'll go with
Eschaton
Talk Left
Calpundit
War Liberal
Suburban Guerrilla
Pandagon
Steve Gilliard
Off the Kuff
Orcinus
Talking Points Memo
I don't envy you this job of not only organizing the nominations but counting the votes. Maybe take the top five from each list and give them 5-4-3-2-1 points? Oh well, here are my favorites, in order:
Atrios
Daily Howler
Steve Gilliard
Talking Points Memo
Atrios (again) because he's probably updated since I checked the other three.
My picks (I agree they should be "amateurs") in order:
Eschaton
Roger Ailes
Whiskey Bar
Dohiyi Mir
These are my "must read at least twice daily" picks.
I don't envy you guys this task.
Posted by: Charles2 at January 5, 2004 03:15 PMWhiskey Bar
Body and Soul
CalPundit
Eschaton
Daily Kos
The Road to Surfdom
Slacktivist
Talk Left
Like other commenters, I think the Koufax is most appropriate for non-pros. Otherwise I'd include Talking Points Memo. If forced to prune the list above to 7, I'd drop Talk Left; not top-tier on general blog topics, but unmatched for civil liberties and related issues.
Posted by: Nell Lancaster at January 5, 2004 03:33 PMBecause it's important to agitate .and. incite to action .and. be readable, but to limit one's rage by tapping into only a few choice sources:
Suburban Guerrilla
Counterspin
###
That's a hard choice. In no particular order -
Daily Kos
Dohiyi Mir
Eschaton
Talking Points Memo
TBogg
Steve Gilliard
Whiskey Bar
Liberal Oasis
I just started cruising the blogosphere recently so some of these I looked at the first time today, but the two I already check daily are:
Atrios
Talk Left
And having taken a moment to peruse the rest, I'm putting Counterspin on the daily read list as well.
I also really liked How to Save the World and Slacktivist .
Posted by: Last One Speaks at January 5, 2004 05:04 PMThe first thing I look at in the morning is Daily Kos followed up by Billmon at the Whiskey Bar, Brad Delong, Angry Bear, and then Calpundit.
Posted by: fester at January 5, 2004 05:20 PMMy list of daily reads:
Daily KOS
Whiskey Bar/Billmon
Tbogg
Suburban Guerrilla
WTF is it now??
Talking Points Memo
Atrios
Posted by: Nikta at January 5, 2004 05:37 PMMy list of the best, in order, is:
Eschaton
Daily Kos
CalPundit
Talking Points Memo
Counterspin
Suburban Guerilla
Whiskey Bar
Juan Cole
Talking Points Memo
Daily Howler
Whiskey Bar
TBOGG
Calpundit
Oy.
Well, in that list, the ones I go to more than once a day are (alphabetically):
DailyKos
Dohiyi Mir
Eschaton
Hullabaloo
Talkleft
TBogg
Whiskey Bar
I hope that helps. I can't imagine that it does. Poor you! But you started it.
Posted by: lea-p at January 5, 2004 06:08 PMThe only ones on the list that are critical reads for me are, in alphabetical order:
Bartcop
Dohiyi Mir
Eschaton
Orcinus
in my own little world, the best blogs are the ones by people who i count as my friends, who in the larger scheme of things might not blog with great historical or social significance, and who might not even shine particularly as writers, but who simply manage to bring color and texture to my life, commiserate with me regarding my various follies, and in general provide a community in which i can feel slightly more sane and slightly less alone.
on a more gross, popularity contest sort of level, among the "political/social" themed blogs, my top three would have to be jeanne d'arc, emma goldman, and atrios; the first for poetry, the second for reason, and the third for pure old fashioned muckraking. i think the comments area at atrios' eschaton is one of the liveliest areas of conversation on the entire internet. when some kind of disaster strikes - the US invades yet another country, a giant meteorite strikes the earth, etc. - atrios is my first destination, not to find out the facts, but to find out what the talk around the water cooler is.
Posted by: r@d@r at January 5, 2004 06:47 PMOut of lots of good blogs, these are the ones I return to most often:
Suburban Guerilla
Liberal Oasis
Open Source Politics
Body and Soul
CalPundit
Daily Kos
Eschaton
How to Save the World
Orcinus
Sadly, No!
Steve Gilliard
Suburban Guerrilla
And of course, Dohiyi Mir (ahem!) ;-P
PS--Although I guess this doesn't count, for the record I'd like to write in the following: Juan Cole, Mark Kleiman, and Open Source Politics.
Posted by: NTodd at January 5, 2004 07:37 PMHere's my favorites, straight from my "favorites"
Suburban Guerilla
Tbogg
Eschaton
So little time...
Posted by: ileana714@ at January 5, 2004 09:11 PMthat's easy:
talkleft
talkleft
talkleft
talkleft
talkleft
talkleft
My daily reads:
Eschaton
Pandagon
TPM
Mattew Yglesias
Bartcop
Altercation
Good luck!
Posted by: casin at January 5, 2004 09:16 PM1. Suburban Guerrilla
2. Nathan Newman
3. Daily Kos
Atrios -- always first and most
Talk Left
Daily Kos
TPM
But all the others are becoming habits, too . . .
Narrowing this down was hard:
Calpundit
Eschaton
Matthew Yglesias
Nathan Newman
Slacktivist
TalkLeft
Orcinus
My first choice on your list is Dohiyi Mir, followed at some distance by Eschaton.
My write-in vote would be for a weblog that no one has mentioned yet, but is the best-written and best-focused and ultimately most cogent that I have seen, Baghdad Burning.
I also read Bartcop regularly but find his view of Democrats to be deeply flawed.
I am humbled and honoured to be included on this list of illustrious bloggers, especially as a Canadian, and as a new blogger who blogs more about environmental issues and business than about politics on my schizophrenic blog, How to Save the World. Having said that, my politics is unequivocably liberal. I read most of the other nominees, and especially like:
Alas
Dohiyi Mir
Eschaton
Talk Left
Whiskey Bar
Had I discovered your site in time, I would have nominated Pacific Views for best blog, World O' Crap and Monster Limo for funniest blog, and Different Strings for a new category, investigative reporting. Fellow liberals all. I've made a note for next year, and thank you again for the nomination.
Posted by: Dave Pollard at January 6, 2004 01:51 AMThe sites that inform, enlighten and generally improve my blood pressure on a daily basis are:
Calpundit
Eschaton
Matt Yglesias
The Rittehouse Review
and last but not least, Talking Points Memo
My short shortlist:
John Quiggin
The Road to Surfdom
Talk Left
Tapped
The one I read daily:
Eschaton
Talking Points Memo
Daily Kos
CalPundit
Whiskey Bar
Counterspin
Tbogg
The first and the last are my favorite.
Posted by: cedichou at January 6, 2004 03:35 AMLots of excellent ones in the shortlist but my vote goes to 'Road to Surfdom'
Posted by: Louise at January 6, 2004 09:39 AMWith the usual complaining about how hard it is to narrow down...
Atrios
Kos
Calpundit
Yglesias
Liberal Oasis
Sisyphus Shrugged
The Sideshow
Crooked Timber
Pandagon
Slacktivist
The indispensables:
Atrios
Calpundit
John Quiggin
Crooked Timber
Talking Points
Road to Surfdom
Calpundit, Atrios/Eschaton, TalkLeft, DailyKOS, Tbogg
I acnnot live without four blogs, for the stated reasons:
* Kos. The sports pages of politics. Agreed that Kos has transcended mere blogness and moved into movement status.
* Talking Points Memo. Nobody knows the opposition better than Josh Marshall. Plus, he is the place to go to know what stories you are going to care about a month from now.
* Atrios/Eschaton. Could he possibly be just one person? Preznit no giv Atrios turkee.
Countless blogs deserve credit (Juan Cole, Billmon/Whiskey Bar, Tbogg, Raed and Riverbend round out my personal blogroll), but those are my three finalists.
Posted by: Tim F at January 6, 2004 04:47 PM(apologies for typos and nonsensical enumeration. my kingdom for an edit function)
Posted by: Tim F at January 6, 2004 04:48 PMMy two cents:
Atrios/Eschaton
Kevin Drum/Calpundit
Josh Marshall/TPM
Billmon/Whiskey Bar
Hesoid/Counterspin
Juan Cole
Kos/Daily Kos
The left coaster
Will have to take a look at Orcinus as so many of you list it.
Posted by: chris/tx at January 6, 2004 05:11 PMAll are eyed, but these are best of the rest:
Body and Soul
Brad DeLong
CalPundit
Daily Kos
Eschaton
First Draft
John Quiggin
Liberal Oasis
Matt Yglesias
The Rittenhouse Review
The Road to Surfdom
Sanctuary (Gianna)
The Scoop
Slacktivist
Talking Points Memo
Posted by: Jozef at January 6, 2004 05:35 PMFor me, it's something like
Orcinus
DailyKos
TPM
Eschaton
Electrolite
Whiskey Bar
The Poor Man
Smirking Chimp (not really a blog, I know)
World o' Crap
How to Change the World
But I only check the first four religiously and catch up with the others (and 20 more besides) from time to time.
Posted by: xian at January 6, 2004 06:20 PMI'd narrow to:
Calpundit
Whiskey Bar
Alas a Blog
Mathew Yglesias
The blogs I find indispensable:
Eschaton
Talking Points Memo
Daily Kos
CalPundit
Whiskey Bar
I agree with those who suggest TPM ought to be removed, since Marshall is a pro (he should be included in "Best Expert Blog" for journalism, though, IMO). But it was also the one blog I read before I got drawn into blogging myself, so I have to mention it here.
Here are my 10 favorites, in order, from this list of excellent resources:
Daily Howler
Liberal Oasis
Daily Kos
Ruminate This
Body and Soul
Steve Gilliard's News Blog
Talking Points Memo
Counterspin
Rittenhouse Review
WTF Is It Now?
Calpundit, Orcinus, Eschaton.
Posted by: Al-Muhajabah at January 6, 2004 11:18 PMChoosing the best from this list is impossible!! But my votes go to Alas, Body and Soul, CalPundit, TBogg and Whiskey Bar.
Posted by: hope at January 7, 2004 09:57 AMTop Three
Body and Soul
Kos
Eschaton
Next Three
Tbogg
Talking Points
Slacktivist
I have to say that I read Suburban Guerrilla first thing, but right now it's only readable with Netscape for some fucked up reason.
I also read (regularly):
TPM
Eschaton
Daily Kos
Bartcop
Alas, A Blog
Calpundit, Tbogg, Rittenhouse Review
Posted by: ritam at January 7, 2004 01:27 PMEschaton
Whiskey Bar
Talking Points Memo
TalkLeft
Matt Y
Orcinus
Atrios/Eschaton
Billmon/Whiskey Bar
Calpundit
Daily Kos
Talking Points Memo
Talk Left
Orcinus
Of course I do read my own blog every day, but the following are more worthy (not that the ones not listed are not as well):
CalPundit
Daily Howler
Eschaton
Hullabaloo
Matt Yglesias
Orcinus
Slacktivist
Talking Points Memo
Tbogg
AB
CalPundit
Daily Kos
Talkleft
Body and Soul
Nathan Newman
Eschaton
TPM
Kos
Yglesias
Calpundit
Whiskey Bar
Sadly, No
Marshall, Drum, and Yglesias. Nobody does it better.
Posted by: JP at January 8, 2004 09:58 AMI'm going to make this (slightly) easier on myself by leaving out people I've voted for in other categories, so
Body and Soul, Eschaton and The Rittenhouse Review are, I think, our institutions, insofar as we have any
Hullabaloo, The Road to Surfdom, Roger Ailes, Ruminate This, Slacktivist, Suburban Guerrilla and Whiskey Bar always get me charged up (although someone needs to go take over Hullabaloo so digby will be a commenter again and we'll occasionally hear from him, young man)
Posted by: julia at January 8, 2004 11:38 AMMy list:
TPM
Kos
Whiskey Bar
Matt Yglesias
Hullabaloo
Brad DeLong
Talking Points Memo
CalPundit
Daily Kos
Matt Yglesias
Atrios
Talk Left and Calpundit.
Posted by: dublingal_ny at January 8, 2004 03:11 PMMy only indispensable blog:
Left I on the News.
LiberalOasis
Talking Points Memo
How to Save the World
Eschaton (Atrios)
Ruminate This
Left I on the news
For excellent coverage on Iraq and Palestine and for his ability to counterspin the pathetic news our rulers feeds us.
Road to Surfdom gets my vote. Written by a fellow Howard refugee in Bushland.
Posted by: Matt at January 8, 2004 07:35 PMThe Checklist:
Eschaton
Slacktivist
Orcinus
Tbogg
Body and Soul
Daily Howler
Alas a Blog
I'll go for Bartcop and Daily Howler. Sort of a Rorschach test, right? Lots of good stuff.
Posted by: Zizka at January 9, 2004 12:51 AMSlacktivist. Absolutely.
Posted by: nate at January 9, 2004 09:06 AM
Brad DeLong, though it's a hard choice.
the blogs i read, in order, everyday are:
my own
kos
atrios
cursor
talkleft
mwo
smirking chimp
calpundit
tom tomorrow
altercation
the hamster
some of those weren't nominated for this category, more's the pity.
Posted by: skippy at January 10, 2004 12:15 AMCALPUNDIT
Talking Points Memo
Daily Kos
Eschaton
Tapped
Whiskey Bar
Rittenhouse
Steve Gilliard
Counterspin
Hullabaloo
Orcinus
Matthew Yglesias
Roger Ailes
dkos
Eschaton
Counterspin central
bartcop
whiskey bar
tbogg
wtf is it now?
calpundit
Liberal Oasis. Since he posts but once a day, it's not the addiction Eschaton and others are.
But always, ALWAYS, wisdom, encouragement, and pragmatic advice. Excellent links for a start pages, too.
Posted by: Emphyrio at January 10, 2004 01:23 PMKos
Dohiyi Mir
Eschaton
Hullabaloo
TalkLeft
TBogg
Whiskey Bar
Roger Ailes
Posted by: lea-p at January 10, 2004 09:25 PMTo be on my everyday list, a blog must not only inform but keep me sane in the midst of a Bushco world. This usually involves some level of snark, although good writing and/or insider info can substitute.
Atrios/Eschaton
Calpundit
DailyKos
TalkingPointsMemo
Tbogg
RogerAiles
Ornicus is wonderfully written but I don't get to it everyday. Longer posts require a different kind of concentration.
Whiskey Bar, Atrios (although you're calling him/her Eschaton, how very formal), Daily Kos, Left I On The News, Slacktivist, Nathan Newman
plus a few others incl Early Days of a Better Nation
Posted by: E Lake at January 11, 2004 03:40 PMAltercation, Dohiyi Mir, Eschaton, Orcinus, Counterspin, Daily Howler.
Posted by: Penny at January 12, 2004 07:32 PMAtrios, Steve Gilliard, Billmon, CalPundit, Nathan Newman
I hate leaving people out...
Posted by: kos at January 13, 2004 03:31 PMSlacktivist.
Posted by: Elias at January 14, 2004 11:49 AMDecided by the question, "Which blogs would I miss reading the most, that seem to speak directly to me?":
Orcinus
Whisky Bar
Runners-up:
Eschaton
Daily Kos
My favourites (as a concerned neighbour from the Great White North)
Orcinus (I think Dave Niewert's the best all around writer in the blogosphere).
And then, in no particular order,
Atrios
Pandagon
Chris Mooney
Juan Cole
Alterman
Posted by: Hermit at January 16, 2004 09:38 AMOh yeah, and Baghdad Burning, and Alas! A Blog, and Kos and Whiskey Bar......
OK, I have commitment problems. But Orcinus is the first one I check every day.
Posted by: Hermit at January 16, 2004 09:40 AMDaily Kos
Orcinus
Talking Points Memo
Altercation
1. Atrios
2. Daily Kos
3. Whiskey Bar
4. CalPundit
5. Brad DeLong
6. Steve Gillard
7. Cursor
If we include journalists, I would add Talking Points Memo.
1. Orcinus
2. Eschaton/Atrios
3. Daily Kos
All three are crucial in informing myself for my daily battles with campus conservatives. Daily Kos is mind-boggling, Orcinus is well-written and authentic, and Atrios is...well, Atrios.
Posted by: Peter Horace at January 16, 2004 09:22 PMThey're all equally intelligent and rational I think... =)
Posted by: Al Franken at January 18, 2004 04:52 PMSigh...I'm nowhere to be found. Oh well. If my opinion is still being taken, of those listed and in no particular order (just like myself):
Daily:
Dohiyi Mir
More often than not:
Atrios/Eschaton
Daily Kos
Talking Points Memo
TBogg
Roger Ailes
Alas
what, and no Chicken Soup for the Vegan Soul? For no one else has dared to ask the question - What would the world do without Burnt Sienna? I mean honestly. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you. Just imagine an episode of "Wheel of Fortune" where no one bought a vowel. Imagine an episode of Jeopardy with no "Daily Double." If you have not been to Chicken Soup For the Vegan Soul, your life is a vacuous wasteland similar to these grim scenarios. Don't hold your breath. Get there today. Henry Kissinger and Barbra Streisand are watching you.
Posted by: ptitza odelay at February 11, 2004 06:12 PM