Wampum

Let me make the first nominations.

Best blog - Atrios. Not even close, he deserves it.

Best writing - this year, Hullabaloo. While I love Jeanne D'Arc, it's time to show Digby some love.

I'd like to nominate the collaborative blog "Killing Goliath" as best new blog and best group blog. Thanks.

Best writing - Tbogg. Always funny, always sharp.

There needs to be a category for "Best of Snark." Tbogg (http://tbogg.blogspot.com/) and "World 'o Crap" (http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/) come to mind. They are both coffee-splattering funny. But perhaps that would fit into the "Most Humorous Blog" category. Although I think Snark is a sub-category.

I believe WoC could be my nomination to "Best New Blog" also.

I hereby nominate Orcinus' The Political and the Personal for Best Post

Group Blog: http://liberalcoalition.blogspot.com/

Best Writing: (besides Body and Soul) http://www.billmon.org/

Best Single Issue Blog: http://dailykos.com/

Best Blog: (I can't do it. There are too many!)

Best: Atrios.

Best Writing: Body and Soul. Digby is very good, but I think Jeanne puts out the best writing on the most consistant basis.

Best Single Issue: Talk Left. Thought I am a law geek, so that probably colors my perception.

Most humorous: Tbogg, with Pandagon a close second.

Best Design: Road to Surfdom Its easy to read and easy to find thngs, and doesn't stick to traditional templates.

Best Post: Body and Soul: http://bodyandsoul.blogspot.com/2003_03_01_bodyandsoul_archive.html#91440816

Best Series: Slacktivist, for his(her? Actually, I have no idea if slacktivist is male or female) series on the Left Behind books.

Best New Blog: Corrente

Humorous Post: http://www.thepoorman.net/archives/002107.html#002107

Best Group: Crooked Timber

I'd like to nominate Tom Burka for Most Humorous, and Open Source Politics for Group Blog. I'd also like to nominate myself for the special Snowball's Chance in Hell award. :)

How about "Best conservative blog"? There are so many bad ones, I'd like to show a little appreciation to the rare few who demonstrate some style and grace in the ways they disagree with us.

my nominations are rather obvious, but why not.

Best Blog: Talking Points Memo, CalPundit
Group Blog: Crooked Timber. Which may or may not qualify as a New Blog.
Best Writing: Kevin Drum of Calpundit. Kieran Healy, Ted Barlow and/or Henry Farrell of CT.
Most Humorous Blog: Pandagon.

I'd add a Best Reporting category which Josh Marshall might run away with--but I'd love to know if more lefty bloggers do reporting. Have to think more about best post. Best Guest Poster: Meteor Blades of Daily Kos.

I've got a new blog, which is way too new to be considered & shared with a centrish author and a rightish author--but I'll post it anyway, because we need more lefty commenters, dang it.
http://obsidianwings.blogs.com

My vote for funniest post would be d-squared's
Heavy Paratroopers (actually it's not so much the funniest post as the funniest - or best - comments thread, in case you might consider starting a category for that).

Would Baghdad Burning (http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/) qualify as "Best Single Issue Blog"? Or maybe "Best Series"? "Best Writing"?

Well, then, how about "Best Non-USA Blog"? Baghdad Burning (http://www.riverbendblog.blogspot.com/)
She has to be in this somewhere.

best group: crooked timber
best writing: jeanne again
best blog: jeanne

Best Blog: Calpundit
Best Writing: Busy Busy Busy
Humorous Blogg: TBogg
Best single issue: Does David Corn count as a blog?

Hey, how about a category for best blog commenter?

There's a guy out there going by the name 'The Ghost of Bill Hicks,' and he's insanely funny and incisive, just like Hicks was.

Best Blog:
Daily Kos/Atrios tie

Best New Blog:
World o' Crap

Best group blog:
Crooked Timber

Most Humorous Blog:
Pandagon/TBogg tie

Best writing:
Billmon

Okay, so my choices display a shocking lack of originality. Sue me.

How about a category for best place to go for an argument? Best comments?

A couple of suggestions for additional categories, to do with as you see fit.

"Best Small Blog" This would be for bloggers who have less than, say, 200 hits a day. Personally, I'd LOVE to know about more of these--but as the blogosphere expands exponentially, it's almost impossible to find them. If there were five or ten in this category, chances are I'd have seen only a couple and would delight in knowing about the others.

"Best Analysis" Maybe this is the same as your "best writing" category. But there's a big difference between bloggers who post links and bloggers who analyze the news. You might want to eliminate pros, or Josh Marshall will win with 92% of the vote.

Oh, and I second "Best Conservative Blog," and presumptuously nominate Just One Minute.

While I have blatantly suggested that I be nominated in the best series category, even I think that the clear winner in this section should be David Neiwert's "Orcinus", for publishing the excellent series, "Rush Newspeak and Fascism."

Best Blog: Daily Kos

Best Blog: (tie) Atrios/CalPundit
Best Writing: Orcinus
Best Post: Max Sawicky-UN-Tenable (http://maxspeak.org/gm/archives/00001588.html)
Best Series: Mark Kleiman (L'Affaire Valerie Plame)
Best Single Issue: Tim Lambert
Best Group: Crooked Timber
Most Humorous: TBogg
Most Humorous Post: d-squared (any of the SSdB posts)
Best Design: (tie)TPM/MattYglesias
Best New: Sadly, No
Best Special Effects: (tie) Blah3/uggabugga

Best Blog: Atrios/Daily Kos
Best Post: Pandagon, Twenty Most Annoying Conservatives of 2003

Best: Atrios.

Best Writing: Digby

Best Single Issue: Talk Left.

Most humorous: Tbogg

Best Design: The Liquid List

Best Series: Talking Points Memo. Take your pick

Best New Blog: TJ Griffin

Best Group: The Liquid List

Could we change these to The Jim Zorn Awards? Just wondering.

Best blog: http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/movable_type/

Best post (my own!): http://www.seewhy.blogspot.com/2003_11_02_seewhy_archive.html#106795967024448360

Best new group blog: http://www.crookedtimber.org

Most Humorous Post (at least it made me laugh a lot): http://examinedlife.typepad.com/johnbelle/2003/11/dead_right.html

Best Blog
DailyKos

Best Writing
BILLMON

Best Post
PREZNIT GIV ME TURKEE

Best Series
GET YOUR WAR ON

Best Group Blog
THE LEFT COASTER

Most Humorous Blog
NEAL POLLACK

Most Humorous Post
PREZNIT GIV ME TURKEE

Best Design
DailyKos

best blog: atrios

best group: corrente

best writing: tbogg

Best New Blog: John Walchak's TrogWatch

http://trogwatch.blogspot.com/

How about the Andy Pettite award, in honor of the leftie that broke free from the evil Pinstripe Empire?

I nominate myself for all categories, although I'm not a group, I'm not funny, I don't post in series, my writing is abyssmal, noone's heard of me, my design is Blogspot chic, it missed the "new" cut-off by one month, it doesn't focus on a single issue, and there are no special effects.

Hey, it worked for "Shakespeare in Love."

Most humorous post: the 20 most annoying conservatives, at http://www.pandagon.net/archives/00002229.htm

Best writing: too hard to decide. Body & Soul. Orcinus. Making Light.

Best group: Crooked Timber.

Best new: Corrente.

You know, you do need more and more specific categories, otherwise the same people will just win year after year. It would also be good to see some real criteria, rather than just which name gets shouted out the most -- again, because otherwise it'll always just be the same old popular (even if deservedly so) faces.

So is it an "official" ballot if we post it here? Or should we "send" it to you?

Best Blog
Brad de Long
http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/movable_type/

Best Writing
Three-toed Sloth
http://www.cscs.umich.edu/~crshalizi/weblog/

Best Post
In Defense of Al Sharpton
http://www.nathannewman.org/log/archives/000719.shtml

Best Series
The Minimum Wage series
http://www.nathannewman.org/log/
(linked on right)

Best Single Issue Blog
Juan Cole (Iraq, more or less)
http://www.juancole.com/

Best Group Blog
Demagogue
http://demagogue.blogspot.com/

Most Humorous Blog
Brian Leiter
http://webapp.utexas.edu/blogs/bleiter/
&
Uppity Negro
http://www.uppity-negro.com

Most Humorous Post
Twenty Most Annoying Conservatives of 2003
Pandagon
http://www.pandagon.net/archives/00002229.htm

Best Design
are there any well-designed blogs?!

Best New Blog
Chun
http://chun.typepad.com/chun/
(if the cut off date were a couple of months earlier, I might have gone with Brian's Study Breaks at http://bjulrich.blogspot.com/)

Best Special Effects
Numerous photo series, including a set from the Feb 15 march.
Hiphop Music
http://www.hiphopmusic.com/archives/000002.html

Best Blog: dailykos/atrios tie

I never get nominated for these things, so I nominate myself, for Humorous Post:

And Now, a Paid Commercial Announcement from Bristol Myers Squibb

And for series, my Roy Moore reportage:

Get Your Moore On

You may absolutely not re-name them the Andy Pettite awards, though I'm glad he broke free.

You could have a rule that you're ineligible to repeat. I don't know if that's a good idea or not; it depends on your purposes.

Best Single Issue: Agnosticism/Atheism http://atheism.about.com (But there is more than just atheism there, so maybe it doesn't fit?)

Best Group Blog: Crooked Timber http://www.crookedtimber.org/

Best Blog: Kos and Atrios are both great, but Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo has become the essential read of the day.

Best blog is either Atrios or Nathan Newman.

Best series, no questions asked, is David Neiwert's series about fascism.

oy.
Best Blog: Atrios/TPM
Best Writer: Digby
Best Post: David Neiwert's "The Political and the Personal"
Best Single Issue: I don't know if this counts, but Somerby's dogged documentation of the insipidness of our "deeply dysfunctional press corps" at the Daily Howler is invaluable
Best Series: David Neiwert's Exegesis on Fascism (http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2003_08_03_dneiwert_archive.html#106036545440271111)
Best Group: Panda goodness at Pandagon
Most Humorous/Snarkiest: TBogg
Best New Blog: Very Very Happy
Best Special Effects: Uggabugga

and I gotta second the vote for Ghost of Bill Hicks for best commenter (funniest commenter category?)--that dog cracks me the hell up.

Best: Atrios, Daily Kos

Best Writing: Talking Points Memo, Orincus

Best Single Issue: Daily Kos

Most humorous: Tbogg

Best Group: Pandagon

Most Humorous Post:Preznit give me Turkee (Atrios)

I second Generik's nomination for Trogwatch as best new blog! Excellent writing, thoughtful commentary, with an emphasis on critical thinking and the media.

http://trogwatch.blogspot.com/

Best New Blog: Steve Gilliard's News Blog

Best Post: "I'm a Fighting Liberal", Steve Gilliard (see above), 12/3/03 (sorry, no permalink).

Best Writing: Orcinus - too heavy!
Funniest: USNDemVet - she is brutally funny.

Best Series: Talking Points Memo for Josh's coverage of the Valerie Plame affair.

Best Single Issue Blog: Riverbend (also could be nominated for Best New)

Humorous Post: Blogotrol, from Very Very Happy.

Most humorous post: Atrios-Preznit giv me turkee
Best writing: Body and Soul
Best Blog: Calpundit
Most humorous blog: Pandagon with Corriente a close second
Best post: Billmon and the WMD quotes

Most humorous: Instapundit. I mean it's got to be some sort of sick joke, right? Right?

Best Blog: I can't decide between Daily Kos (better for all the primary goodness) and Atrios (good for everything else).

Best Post & Best Writing: Orcinus' "The Political and the Personal".

Best Group Blog: pandagon

Most Humorous Post: Preznit giv me turkee(Atrios)

I'm gonna be laughing about that one for awhile.

Anyone preserving the legacy of Bill Hicks gets a huge thumbs up from me as well.

Best: Atrios
Humor: TBogg
Funniest post: http://www.thepoorman.net/archives/001909.html
Best writing: Billmon
Best group: Pandagon
Best single issue: SullyWatch
Series: The unending series of posts that is Josh Marshall's talkingpointsmemo.com
Design: Democratic veteran
Special effects: uggabugga
Best blog with cat's name in title: Slyblog

I agree with add a best conservative. My vote: Drezner.

Best New Blog: Steve Gillard

Best Blog - DKOS
Best post - Orcinus's personal and political
Best group blog - Crooked Timber
Best series - busybusybusy, shorter series

Best blog: dailykos

Best New Blog: Steve Gillard

Best Single Issue: Juan Cole-Informed Comment

Sorry didn't mean to vote twice.

Too late to nominate or second them, so I'll third Dave Neiwert for both best post - The Personal and The Political - and best series - Rush Newspeak and Fascism.

Best Writing/Best Blog: Talking Points Memo

Best Blog- Atrios
Best New Blog- World O Crap (check my url--not my blog, btw, just a favorite of mine!)
Most Humorous-ooooh toughie. tbog and world o crap
Most Humorous Post-- The Schwarzenegger Project Two: HercInNewYork--

http://blogs.salon.com/0002874/stories/2003/11/22/theSchwarzeneggerProject2HercInNewYork.html

And I gotta go think about the other ones....choices, choices.

I'll second (third) Gilliard for best new blog, add a redundant vote for Atrios as best new blog, put in an equally redundant good word for "preznit give me turkee," and concur that Riverbend (and what about Salam Pax, people?) have got to be recognized for *something*.

that should have been "Atrios for best blog," of course.

busybusybusy for most humorous.
I am the Queen of Sheba.

First of all, I would like to second the request for Best Comment/Commentator for those folks who blog via comments only. I also would like to see a category for best Regional Blog, for blogs that focus (narrowly or not) on a particular region, like South Knox Bubba or Off The Kuff.

BEST BLOG:
Daily Kos
CalPundit
TBOGG
Eschaton
Talking Points Memo

Nominated because these are my essential daily visits, except that TBOGG doesn't post on the weekend, so I have to go back and re-read him on Sat & Sun.

BEST WRITING:
TBOGG
World O'Crap
Pandagon
Busy Busy Busy
Orcinus
Digby
Body & Soul

The first 4 I nominated because they are consistently so funny and so sharp. The next 2 because they really make me think, and of course Jeanne gets extra points because she just writes beautifully, full stop.

BEST POST:
Pandagon - 20 Most Annoying Conservatives
PLA - gosh, hard to pick one! I will have to come back to this one after I go back and re-read some really great posts.

BEST SERIES:
Tim Lambert on John Lott

BEST SINGLE ISSUE:
Will have to come back to this one

BEST GROUP BLOG:
Crooked Timber (even though I only understand about 2/3s of what they are writing about.)
Pandagon (it qualifies, right?)

MOST HUMOROUS:
TBOGG
World O'Crap
Pandagon

MOST HUMOROUS:
Will have to get back on this one.

BEST DESIGN:
Will have to get back on this one.

BEST NEW BLOG:
World O'Crap

best writing - Steve Gilliard
most humous post - yeah, "preznit give me turkee" - atrios

Best blog: Bartcop. I love Atrios, but Bart is out there firing away from the gut every day. Take no prisoners, Bart!

Also deserving of nomination: the Daily Howler and Talking Points Memo.

Media Whores Online would be in the mix if it hadn't gone on hiatus every other month.

Best single-issue blog: Daily Kos.

Best blog: Tough choice, as there are some great ones out there, but Atrios is still the king.

Best Writing: Teresa Nielsen Hayden. If she's not political enough for consideration, then I nominate Kevin Drum.

Best Post: I tend not to remember individual posts all that well, but David Neiwert's The Political and the Personal stayed with me.

Best series: For once, I'm going to toot my own horn and nominate my coverage of the Texas redistricting saga.

Best single-isse blog: Liberal Oasis.

Best group blog: Crooked Timber.

Most humorous blog: Pete Von Der Haar's A Perfectly Cromulent Blog. If he's not political enough, then TBogg.

Most humorous post: So, So Sad, by Andrew Northrup. Or his Shorter Right-Wing Punditry's Reaction To The Valerie Plame Affair. Can't have enough Gollum, you know.

Best design: The Daily Kos.

Best new blog: Colorado Luis.

Best special effects: Uggabugga.

Best Blog: Atrios
Best Writing: Billmon
Best Post: Billmon WMD quotes
Best Series: Riverbend
Best New Blog: Antiwar.com blog
Most Humorous Blog: Atrios
Most Humourous post: Atrios- preznit give me turkey (Dec.4/03)
Best special effects: Atrios- press behaviour contract

if I didn't make a coding mistake here, it will be a miracle.

Best Blog: dKos
Best Design: dKos

I think we need to add a first runner up. There are simply too many blogs deserving of recognition to limit each category to one. I would even go for Gold Silver and Bronze medals! Anyway, my choices:

Best Series: Mark Kleiman (L'Affaire Valerie Plame)

Best Series Runner-up: Josh Marshall on Dick Cheney is a pox on all of us

Best Blog: Atrios

Best Blog Runner up: Josh Marshall

Best Writing: Josh Marshall

Best Writing Runner up: Calpundit

Best Blog: Atrios
Best Single Issue: DailyKOS
Best Writing: TPM
Most Humorous/Snarky: Tie between Pandagon, tbogg, thismodernworld (tom tomorrow), and Barcop's site (only if you count that... thing... as a blog).

Other Favorites that I can't think of a category for: Calpundit, Counterspin, and busy^3

Best Writing - Billmon! Billmon!! Billmon!!!
Most Humorous Post - Preznit give me turkee - Atrios. Tee hee - it makes me giggle just to think about it now!

Best Design : The Talent Show
Best Post : Bubbling Bliss & Beautiful Science
Most Humorous Post : George, you dirty little bitch!

Best Post -- the Cogent Provacatuer ( http://cogenteur.blogspot.com/ ) -- Operation Desert Snipe

Best Blog: Still Atrios

Best Writing: Billmon at Whiskey Bar hand down

Best Post: Calpudit/Matthew Yglesias (Matt's come a long way)

Best Series: Josh Marshall on Dick Cheney's misleadership adventures

Best Group Blog: TAPPED/En Banc divided between these guys.

Most Humorous Blog: TBogg

Most Humorous Post:The Poor Man, for this post:

October 29, 2003

“Atrios”
Author and Publisher of “Eschaton” Weblog

Dear "Atrios",

This firm represents Gollum, formerly Smeagol of Middle Earth. You recently stole the precious. Such an action constitutes tricksyness in the first degree, and we hates you.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey J. Upton

Best Design: Cooked Timber/CalPudit

Best New Blog: The Whiskey Bar

Best Special Effects:?(I haven't seen lately).

Another Best Series:Kevin Drum /Calpundit Friday cat blogging.

Best Blog - Kevin Drum, Josh Marshall

Best Writing - Daniel Davies, Kieran Healy, Josh Marshall, Matthew Yglesias

Best Single Issue Blog - Brad DeLong

Best Group Blog - Crooked Timber

Best Design - Not Geniuses

Best New Blog - Chun the Unavoidable, En Banc

By the way, I'd like to second the motion for a Best Reporting Category, for which I'd also nominate Josh Marshall.

I think it would also be nice to have a "Best Young Blogger" award (bloggers under 25?). For that I'd nominate Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein, and Jesse Taylor.

Best Blog - "Right Christians" by Allen Brill
Best Writing - Orcinus
Best Single Post - "The Political and the Personal" http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2003_11_23_dneiwert_archive.html#106970848149574609

Best Blog: Atrios

Best Writing: Billmon; Digby; Tbogg; Roger Ailes; Calpundit (5-way tie; can't make up my mind)

Best Series: Atrios ("Talk Like O'Reilly Day")

Best Single Issue: Sullywatch

Most Humorous: Tbogg; World O'Crap (tie)

Best New Blog: The Left Coaster

I thought my series of posts on those astro-turf letters from our soldiers in Iraq were pretty good.

Best blog: Atrios and dKos tie
Best series: either Tim Lambert (does John Lott count as a "series" or an "issue"? or Orcinus on fascism
Best single issue: Riverbend
Best writing: Billmon

Almost forgot...I said back in January that we should give Billmon the award for "Best Post of 2003" for this absolute classic.

Frankly, I see no reason to change my opinion.

Since this is just for nominations, I want to be sure that Josh shows up in all the categories which apply:

best: Talking Points Memo

best writing: Talking Points Memo

best design: Talking Points Memo

And, for best post, Steve Gilliard's "I'm a fighting liberal": http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2003_11_30_stevegilliard_archive.html and scroll until you see "I'm a fighting liberal"

Best Writing: Fred Clark of Slacktivist http://slacktivist.typepad.com/

Funniest post: The Poor Man's "Shorter Right-Wing Punditry's Reaction to the Valerie Plame Affair: An Internal Dialogue" (aka "Gollum the Republican") http://www.thepoorman.net/archives/002107.html

Best special effects: South Knox Bubba's fun with Photoshop http://southknoxbubba.net/skblog/

Best Issue Blog: Dan Kennedy's media watch at Boston Phoenix

Funniest Blog: WTF is it now

Best Post: Presnit giv me turkee

Best writing: Billmon/Calpundit (tie)

Best Design: Kos (no contest)

Best Group Blog -- DKos

Best Group Blog Runner Up -- Corrente

Best Series -- Bush Fedayeen Watch, Hesiod

Best Post: Daniel Davies' "The Economics of Pounds Canto 45": http://d-squareddigest.blogspot.com/2003_02_23_d-squareddigest_archive.html

Oh yea:

Best new blog which shamelessly steals from Dave Barry: The Biomes Blog (www.biomescenter.com)

Seriously, what's the difference between best blog and best writing? For me a blog is as good as its writing.

So Slacktivist gets my vote for best blog, too.

What happened to the Best Commentor category? As I recall Digby won last year and went on to have one of the best blogs going (my pick for best writing BTW).
Best post? Orcinus' "The Political and the Personal".
Humor: Pandagon/TBogg.
Best new blog: The Right Christian (Give 'em hell, Allen).
Best blog: Atrios, but he won last year. DKos is one of my favs but I have to vote for Calpundit for best blog if for no other reason than I've been able to send my conservative friends (the one's who will still talk to me) there and Kevin's doing a good job of bringing them slowly away from the dark side.

As to best non-blogger commenter (providing the category returns): Ton's of good options. "Hunter" has returned after some absence. I love reading Hunters posts. "Dr. Pedant" is always excellent. "Robert M. Jeffers" seems new and is reliably smart. "MattB" and "BlakNo1" stand out, as do "Phoenix Woman" and "agitpropre". "cosmic grappler" and "Holden Caulfield" are wonderful commentors and always make me laugh, as does "dave," but one name does indeed keep rising to the top of my mental "Dude, get a blog" list: John Isbell.

There's more I know I'm forgeting but these stand out.

Any list of humorous blogs absolutely must include BartCop - www.bartcop.com. And once on the list, count BartCop with my vote!

Best blog: Atrios
Best single issue blog: Daily Kos
Best writing: Calpundit, Kevin Drum
Best new blog: August J. Pollak at www.overboard.com
(I do believe he's new, no?)
Most humourous post: The "Preznit giv me turkee" sheet at Atrios. (damned, that was funny)

I think a category for "best commentor" should be included as well. Several people could vie for that title...snr has had some brilliant comments, along with The Ghost of Bill Hicks (and a sympathy vote for w00t as well, just cause we all need boobies and cups to pee into every now and again).

My favorite blog writer is Hesiod,for a variety of topics.
Most humorous is TBOGG he keeps me laughing with is writing and his pictures

Best Blog

CalPundit
Brad DeLong
Atrios

Best Writing

Billmon