Commenter Taxpayer1234 mentioned yesterday that s/he had written a graduate school paper on conservative political blogs, and s/he was kind enough to forward it to me.
Three blogs were the focus of the paper, Legal Insurrection, Ace of Spades HQ, and The Other McCain. Remember, everything is relative.
Here are the pertinent excerpts (emphasis mine):
Ace of Spades’ masthead contains a quote from H.L. Mencken: “Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats.” This speaks to the writing style of the blog, which is sharp-tongued, sometimes vulgar, and often humorous….McCain’s blog is the most aggressively promoted of the three blogs, with frequent entreaties to “hit the tip jar” and snarky comments about other bloggers who haven’t linked to his site recently.The last blog is called Legal Insurrection run by Cornell law professor William Jacobson….Jacobson’s style is straightforward and low-key yet engaging. He discusses pertinent legal issues without using legal vernacular; yet the site isn’t all about law. Features like “The Saturday Night (Race) Card Game,” a weekly commentary on race and society, and photos of interesting/funny bumper stickers add to the site’s interest….Even though Ace and his equally anonymous co-bloggers often use biting satire and vulgar language, this is balanced with insightful sociopolitical analyses that earn kudos from mainstream press, professional pundits, and politicians….Robert Stacy McCain’s site, The Other McCain, has an ethos that is nearly opposite of Ace of Spades’. McCain puts himself and his ethical and political views at the center of the blog….Compared to the anonymous, edgy Ace of Spades and the soapbox self-promoter The Other McCain, the ethos of Legal Insurrection is much more subtle….The patient, rational mindset needed for business litigation and arbitration is evident in the tone of the blog…However, if the blog were too subtle, it wouldn’t be so successful. Blog post titles like “Government Motors Energy Breakthrough—Chevy Volt Also Generates Thermal Energy” (about a Volt catching fire in a garage); “Another Day, Another Nonsense PPP Poll”; and “PolitiFact Has a Serious Problem, But I Repeat Myself” hint at the humorous content.Jacobson’s gentle humor is combined with an obvious respect for the readers….
Grade: Well-researched, sharp analytical methodology, insightful observations. A+
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