What columnists or bloggers do you read for political opinion or insight on the news? Do you read the writing of those you disagree with? I confess I don’t read any columnist regularly. I take in Olasky, Belz, Seu et al with World Magazine, both online and in print. I’ve gone to The American Spectator occasionally for comment on specific pan flashes. But I don’t look to anyone for contrary opinions and turn on NPR once in a blue moon. It would probably serve me well to understand opposing arguments, but I don’t have enough interest in it–at least, I haven’t had enough interest. How about you?
The thing about being a conservative, it seems to me, is that it’s not necessary to research the opposition’s positions. They’re part of the atmosphere. The moment you turn on the TV, or pick up a newspaper or magazine, or listen to any radio other than conservative talk, you get the opposition’s views. Liberals, on the other hand, can go weeks without hearing a conservative view (aside from straw men) without much difficulty.
Lars is right; the “opposition” is omnipresent, oppressive, and obnoxious.
I read National Review Online (all their offerings), Babalu Blog, American Digest, Pajamas Media, and I have a giddy crush on Neptunus Lex.
I forgot to mention what I read. I read Townhall.com, and The American Spectator, and a bunch of less known blogs. I also visit the Fox News website if I’m looking for particular stories.
Of course, you’re right, but there’s a difference b/w hearing NPR News and hearing commentary from NPR’s Daniel Schorr. You have to be aware of what’s not being said during the news, and you have to endure what’s being said during the commentary.
I spend too much time checking blogs. But here are some I check pretty often:
(Rod Dreher’s) Crunchy Con
What’s Wrong with the World
Culture 11
The Western Confucian
and too many others.
Cross Currents for the Orthodox Jewish perspective.
Regular Guy for a Catholic perspective, mostly because I know him personally (my former SCA baron).
Dave Freer, because he is a good author and has a unique perspective on things. He’s also South African, so his news are different.
Baen’s Bar, especially Tom Kratman’s corner
Here, but you already know that
Mostly I read blogs for other reasons, and politics gets mixed in. I don’t feel I need to work too hard to be an informed voter, given how important my vote is. Texas is not really in play. I know, I should work harder to pretend my vote matters – but I’m too busy with real things, where I can make a real difference.
I think that one of the best ways to track what is going on in the country – and especially to see how of that the media ignores or distorts – is to look at Glenn Reynolds’s Instapundit every day.
I read some of those mentioned above, but also watch C-Span when I get a chance. No filter there, you get to hear it from the horses’ mouth. Or perhaps from some form of donkey.
Also, I read Veith.
The Washington Post. Speaking of which, there is a bang-up interview of Marilynne Robinson in today’s WaPo: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/19/AR2008101902106.html?referrer=emailarticlepg
“Radio put technology into storytelling and made it sick.”
– I don’t know if I agree. I agree to the extent radio was a ‘dumbing down’ from print; but radio also exposed a lot of people to stories. (I grew up in a home without books; and so listening to a particular radio show that featured ‘productions’ of classic short stories was a great introduction to literature for me. Most of these shows were based on stories from genre fiction, but were still enchanting.)
You know, Orm, I had a kind of similar experience. Books were very limited in our home. But I remember sometimes I saw Shakespeare performed on TV, and I thought, “You know this Shakespeare guy wrote some cool stuff.” When we got to Shakespeare in school, I jumped right in (and being raised on the King James Bible, I had no problem with the language).
I spent my young years as an unpaid deckhand on my father’s fishing boat. After nightfall he would hit the bunk and I would have the job of watching things. At this point I would turn on the radio (very quietly) and listen in for a station I knew featured old time radio programs. (The Shadow, etc.)
Joy. Pure joy.
Orm, who are you quoting with the “radio put tech.” quote?