"Best Political Blogs: DC Journalists Pick Their Favorites"

Washingtonian mag recently asked DC's ink-stained wretches to name the blogs they must read and has delivered "a fresh crop of blogs and Web sites now has become standard stops, according to an informal survey of Washington journalists."

Hit & Run, which Mark Felt told us is required reading on the former presidential yacht (though to be honest, we're not sure if he meant the Sequoia or the Potomac), makes the list, with the following descriptor:

The libertarians behind Reason magazine strike back with moderate commentary on a variety of topics ranging from public television to Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl."

Moderate isn't exactly the adjective I'd use to describe what goes on here (foul-mouthed, anyone? Or how about "award-winning"?). Was it Barry Goldwater who said that moderation in the pursuit of praise was no virtue? And that extremism in the pursuit of pleasure was no vice? Or was that Barry White?

This seems as good a place as any for a subscription pitch.

Whole Washingtonian list here.

Comments

joe | June 20, 2005, 9:38am | #

Well, you're, like, socially liberal and, like, economically conservative, so that means you're all, like, moderate and stuff.

Not David | June 20, 2005, 9:42am | #

Moderate is the new black.

Jesse Walker | June 20, 2005, 9:51am | #

We criticize both parties, ergo we're moderates. I guess.

Julian Sanchez | June 20, 2005, 9:53am | #

I assume he meant "moderate" relative to some other libertarian blogs. As in: You probably won't find us using the phrase "blood-spattered jackboot" in a post about school lunches.

Jesse Walker | June 20, 2005, 9:58am | #

(Note to self: Be sure to use phrase "blood-spattered jackboot" in a post about school lunches.)

Douglas Fletcher | June 20, 2005, 10:10am | #

Washingtonian, always a good magazine to use if you need to prop up an end table leg. Nice thick paper, and you know you'll never want to take another look at it.

joe | June 20, 2005, 10:17am | #

I've eaten some sketchy school lunches in my day, but I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that...

Jose Ortega y Gasset | June 20, 2005, 10:17am | #

It should not be particularly difficult... I have eaten a few school lunches that were clearly part of some Nazi experiment to determine the human limits of gastronomical pain. On that note:

"Winner of tonight's mystery meat contest is Jeffrey Corbin who guessed 'some kind of beef.'"

Perhaps Tim Cavanaugh can dazzle with us with his knowledge of pop culture and provide the name of the movie (no goggling, young Tim).

Jason Ligon | June 20, 2005, 10:33am | #

Meatloaf and Tyranny: How the Thugocrats Pave the Road to Serfdom One Soy Brick at a Time

phocion | June 20, 2005, 10:48am | #

Looks like the HuffPost hasn't even been able to crack the A-list of blogs, let alone top Drudge as a must-read for tabloid political news. Such a pity.

mediageek | June 20, 2005, 11:24am | #

Julian & Jesse-

I'd like to thank both of you for causing me to choke on the coffee I was drinking at the time of reading your posts.

Mo | June 20, 2005, 11:44am | #

Moderate = not instantly critical of Bush, but not fawning of Bush.

Stretch | June 20, 2005, 11:57am | #

In these days of endless hyperbolic screeching from both the bride and the grooms side of the aisle, I suppose being both moderate and interesting enough to read is a great compliment.

thoreau | June 20, 2005, 12:03pm | #

Moderate = Thinking both guys suck but keeping a sense of humor.

This place is awesome!

Jose Ortega y Gasset | June 20, 2005, 12:05pm | #

I agree with Mr. Sanchez. I think "moderate" referred to the temperate nature of Hit and Run as compared to other libertarian web sites. The debates here are rather calm and thoughtful, particularly in comparison to other fora.

trainwreck | June 20, 2005, 12:06pm | #

Everything in Moderation!!

coke, weed, acid, ludes, etc...

Mo | June 20, 2005, 12:14pm | #

I can't wait for Jesse's expose on school lunches. Especially for the piece on the chalupas.

kevrob | June 20, 2005, 12:39pm | #

I'm having trouble relating. I spent 12 years in parochial schools that never served a single lunch. Everyone brown-bagged or lunchboxed it. In grammar school, if someone forgot his lunch, we shared, or the kid was sent over to the convent and was fed as if he was a refugee from the potato famine. In high school we had some machines that sold sandwiches, but that was it. Oddly, test scores were excellent, and almost all our high school grads got into college. Eating a cold lunch every day (thermoses full of soup excepted) seems not to have been fatal to academic excellence.

Luckily for my cultural literacy, I did have the experience of eating dormitory cafeteria food in college, so I get the jokes when watching Meatballs.

Kevin
The Swiss trained me to kill.

Stretch | June 20, 2005, 1:00pm | #

I went to Catholic school for 10 years and public school for 3. I always had a cafeteria that served lunch but, oddly enough, we had to pay for it in elementary school and at the public HS. The Catholic HS gave us lunch for free, and considering the delapidated state of the facilities and education it seems that they should have been charging us.

I usually brought my lunch, but man, I still remember having Sloppy Joe's on Thursdays. I'm not sure if they would fufill the current health requirements, but they sure were good.

Mark Borok | June 20, 2005, 1:44pm | #

Moderate = being able to consider opposing points of view without going into hysterics.

Does freerepublic qualify as a blog? Is it even remotely useful as a source of political commentary? The few times I've been there all I saw were violent rants.

joe | June 20, 2005, 3:24pm | #

I suppose it's useful to certain sociologists and psychiatric researchers.

R C Dean | June 20, 2005, 3:29pm | #

freerepublic and democratic underground are both useful primarily to the very people they despise.

crimethink | June 20, 2005, 6:51pm | #

Moderate isn't exactly the adjective I'd use to describe what goes on here

But in the post-Gunnels era....

Eric the .5b | June 21, 2005, 12:43am | #

"Who cares about George W. Bush anyway? The man has only one look for Christ's sake! Blue Steel? Ferrari? Le Tigra? They're the same face! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"