Max Sawicky (economist at the Economic Policy Institute in DC) is a smart left economist: see, e.g., his item on "liberal" versus "left" approaches to economic policy here. (His new blog site is here.) I'm glad to have discovered this one. The squishy, polite "liberal" blogs were getting tiresome, and the popular Atrios and CalPundit simply have no relevant knowledge base, intellectual framework, or technical expertise--as a consequence they never rise much beyond good intentions and light amusements.
I may have to start a blogroll for the handful of blogs I actually now read: Sawicky, Jessica Wilson, Weatherson, Juan Cole, Solum's Legal Theory blog all come to mind.
Is there hope for the blogosphere after all?
UPDATE: Whoops, I forgot Bainbridge on wines! (I'm sure he's good on corporate law too, but that's not my thing.) (Note: I'm sure I forgot other good ones too!!!)
FURTHER UPDATE: What I thought was a fairly innocent post--meant to respond to the queries I'm always getting about "other blogs worth reading"--has produced a generous and charming rebuke--under the heading "Don't be a Meanie!"--from "Swimmer" in Santa Barbara, California:
"Mr. Leiter,
I love your blog. It is rare to see anything pointless
or badly argued on your site. But, my friend, what you
said about Kevin Drum and Atrios was a blow below the
belt. It may be true, but you didn't have to say it.
Both of these bloggers are fine gentlemen (especially
Mr. Drum, who is nothing but nice even to the nastiest
of his opponents), and they don't deserve that kind of
derisive tone. I know they can be boring. But they
have one virtue that you do not: they are never
pompous. Democracy is for the vulgar, and that's a
damned good thing.
"Not all of us can do what you can do. Please keep that
in mind. I know you mean well. Just watch your
language!
"Happy Holidays,
Swimmer in Santa Barbara, CA"
Swimmer has a point; I did come across as mean. Good intentions are a rarity in the blogosphere, and I'm glad folks like Atrios and CalPundit are out there delivering day after day. Part of the difficulty here is that what may strike a non-academic/non-philosopher reader as "pomposity" is really just direct expression of evaluative judgments, a practice common in philosophy, and in academia generally (see the apt comments on the subject here). Almost all the evidence I have is that most of my readers are academics in law and philosophy, plus graduate students and some law students. This posting, like most of them, was offered with them in mind--especially since I so often get asked the question on e-mail, "What other blogs would you recommend?" But Swimmer's kind e-mail reminds me that the readership may, in fact, be wider, and that because the blogosphere, like e-mail, deprives the recipient of a message all the non-verbal cues we rely on so heavily in ordinary, face-to-face interaction, it is very easy for words to be taken in different ways by those whose background context and assumptions differ. I thank Swimmer for calling this to my attention.
AND ANOTHER UPDATE (12/24): Yet another reader writes:
"Just a quick note from a loyal reader to say that your readership does indeed include ordinary people like myself. I do disagree with your judgement on Atrios, I think he provides a great service in bringing a pugnacious leftist perspective to the great masses who haven't the stamina or leisure for more rigorous or cerebral arguments. I read your blog on some "a man's reach must exceed his grasp" but it is essential for political life that graspable leftist ideas also be disseminated.
Best wishes,
CR Annam"
Points taken. I thank these kind readers for their feedback.
AND ONE MORE (12/27): Yglesias gets in a funny jab on the subject here.
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