The Irate Nation Est. 2001

TIN Links, 10/31/09

Hey all, Ashok here - it's great to be able to blog at TIN again and help Nate out a bit. I don't want to make hypocritical requests - I don't know how much I'll be able to help out here, I'm thinking at least a link post a week - but I think if everyone chips in a post a week at least, this place could really take off. I'm posting a lot more at my own blog, and that makes all the difference in the world - you really do get more traffic for more posts, up to a point. And I have subscribed to TIN myself to boost that subscriber count, and I definitely hope that habit catches on with readers and authors here.

I used to comb conservative blogs when making these link posts, looking to shed light on little known bloggers. I doubt that's going to happen anymore: there's too much repetition in the conservative blogosphere, and readers of my blog know I have some pretty deep concerns about the atmosphere the Tea Parties and other pundits have generated.

Just a few links, probably things you've already seen. From my own blog:

• Yet again - Under No Circumstances Should Jon Corzine Be Re-elected Governor of NJ - I think this is plenty self-explanatory.
• A Sample of What American Political Life Needs Far More Of - Concerns the governor's race in VA.
• Things Everyone Should Read - Richard Hofstadter, "The Paranoid Style in American Politics" - I didn't write this to put anyone down, but if I told you that I didn't think right-wing extremism is a real problem, I'd be lying. I really thought we'd be better than "Obama = Hitler" signs and stocking up on ammo and gold coins because of things Glenn Beck says (and is never told he's wrong on. Shouldn't we all be in camps right now if his ranting had any relation to reality?). The problem many of you should immediately raise with me is whether I offer anything better. I don't know that I do politically, and I concede that point to a degree.

Other links you'll probably find useful:

• Jay Cost, "The Problem with the Health Care Debate" - everyone should read Jay Cost: he's a political scientist who brings solid scholarship to bear on what's happening currently, and does it without getting complicated at all. In this post he discusses how much information we don't have about health care reform, and by implication demonstrates that sometimes it's better not to read too much news.
• Karl Rove, "Obama Goes Wobbly on Afghanistan" - self-explanatory.
• And one totally non-political link that you either like, or hate America for not liking: "Too young to remember Michael Jordan's prime? Not me"