JPN: Seek Truth: Politics

Sources on contemporary Policies and Politics

These are sites with a focus on policy issues, reviews of the American political scene and the like. Some are blogs. Some overlap with the world focus covered on my World Affairs page. Also see my media page for a special focus on bashing our corrupt and dishonest mass media. Link collections of news sources are here. My blog: Gyroscope "For those unmoved by spin."

Favorites

TalkingPointsOnline memo by Josh Marshall, Washington DC writer. Excellent inside info and analysis of political events. Better than any columnist around. Especially recommended. (Up 3/10/08; posted 12/25/03)

The Washington Monthly / Ken Drum Print magazine has lots of "inside" stuff on Washington. "Memo of the month" is not to be missed. Website is valuable for Kevin Drum's blog (formerly 'CalPundit'). Lively discussion forums. (Up 3/10/08; posted 2/28/00)

The Daily HowlerRelentless attack on media propaganda. Exposes in detail and with ample evidence how the media shills for the right wing by making up stories, choosing what stories to push, and burying facts that disagree with the story they are trying to push. Absolutely essential site. Is moving more and more to discuss K-12 education policy. Especially recommended. (Up 12/21/07; posted 4/20/03)

Blue Girl, Red State Blunt contrarian commentary from the left side of a red state. (Up 3/10/08; posted 6/22/07)

Paul Krugman A national treasure. Hard to find his stuff online, and his official website is ... lacking, so read him in the paper or search the unofficial site. Especially recommended. (Up 6/22/07; posted 7/31/05)

The Washington Note By Steven C. Clemons. Focus on national security and intelligence issues and their DC political implications. Appears to have inside contacts in the intelligence agencies. (Up 6/22/07; posted 11/17/04)

James WolcottHis Tracer Fire comments provide an elegantly snide smackdown of the right wing. Considerable gossip about pundits. (Up 3/10/08; posted 1/30/05)

Sites well worth reading (divided by major emphasis)

News with a point of view

More news than comment

Satire

Huffington Arianna Huffington's collection of bloggers. (Up 6/22/07; posted 7/31/05) Also visit her home page, Arianna Online. (Up 12/22/07; posted 10/16/05)

Altercation Eric Alterman's blog at MSNBC. (Up 6/22/07; posted 5/30/04)

Booman Tribune Politics blog (Up 3/10/08; posted 6/26/07)

Democracy Now The cult of Amy. Actually thinks we should be a democracy. (Up 7/15/06)

CounterPunch political newsletter (Up 2/4/07; posted 3/27/03)

Left i on the news "A leftwing view of the day's news and the way it's presented in the media." (Up 6/22/07; posted 7/20/06)

Watching Those We Choose "We have to be accountable, we think our politicians should be too." (Up 6/22/07)

Clusterfuck Nation Peak oil dooms us, we'll loose our houses, we're all going to hell, etc. (Up 3/10/08; posted 2/4/07)

David Seaton's News Links Commentary and links. (Up 12/22/07)

Just World News by Helena Cobban (Up 4/9/08; posted 9/20/06)

Andrew Sullivan The Daily Dish. (Up 4/9/08)

Hullabaloo by digby. (Up 9/10/06)

Unclaimed Territory Glenn Greenwald's blog, before he went pay for view at Salon. (Up 4/9/08; posted 7/2/06)

Majikthise "Analytic philosophy and liberal politics" by Lindsay Beyerstein, who is much too young. Doesn't like religion. (Up 9/20/06; posted 11/18/05)

Make Them Accountable Another Texas rant as only they can do it. May effort on Intelligent Design should be in hall of blog fame. (Up 4/14/06)

CoolAqua Northwest blog covering national interests. (Up 4/18/06)

MoveOn.org One of the first. (Up 10/18/06)

Sirotablog "David Sirota's online magazine of news & commentary" (Up 3/10/08; posted 2/6/06)

TPM Cafe Group blog started by Josh Marshall. (Up 12/22/05; posted 7/31/05)

DC Media Girl Wolcott says she "covers the day's events with a creamy swirl of sassy." May be gone now. (Up 11/18/05; posted 8/8/05)

Eschaton Blog by the mysterious Atrios. Often coasts by just putting up empty threads. (Up 11/18/05; posted 12/16/03)

No Quarter political blog, was decent before he went in the tank for Hillary - big time. (Up 4.9.08; posted 2/6/06)

Obsidian Wings News and comment. (Up 12/22/05; posted 9/5/05)

LiquidList Political comment by 'four guys'. (Up 10/18/06; posted 11/2/04)

Citizen's Rent Formerly was Random Thoughts on Politics. By Kathy in the Pacific Northwest. (Up 6/30/06; posted 11/17/04)

Carpetbagger Report "Reality-Based Commentary, Analysis, and Tirades on Politics in America." (Up 12/22/05; posted 3/27/05)

Daily Kos "Political Analysis and other daily rants on the state of the nation." (Up 6/30/06; posted 12/12/04)

BlondSense Sense by several blonds. (Up 6/30/06; posted 11/18/05)

The Gadflyer Small group blog. Good on finding outrageous things conservatives have done. (Up 11/18/05)

The Reaction Blog (Up 10/13/07)

Crooks & Liars Video of the wingnuts doing their thing. (Up 6/30/06; posted 11/18/05)

Harvard Working Papers Analysis from JFK school of government. (Up 10/13/07)

The News Blog Steve G. Discusses security issues. (Up 12/26/05)

MyDD "My Due Diligence", by Jerome Armstrong. Not afraid to go after the Democratic Party establishment. Interesting state-by-state links. (Up 9/5/05; posted 12/12/04)

Bruce Schneier "Schneier on Security" Focus on security and security technology. (Up 11/18/05)

Tom Watson "My dirty life and times." (Up 11/19/05; posted 1/30/05)

First Draft "Writing is only real on the first draft." (Up 8/8/.05; posted 1/30/05)

TomPain Political commentary and news reports. A project of the Institute for America's Future. (Up 11/18/05; posted 12/25/03)

Crooked Timber Covers more than politics. (Up 12/22/05; posted 1/30/05)

Bull Moose "More Moose, Less Bull" (Up 3/24/05)

The American Prospect Magazine and website. (Up 12/28/05; posted 12/25/03)

Z Mag Online community that goes with the printed magazine. Hard left. (Up 12/28/05; posted 2/13/00)

Independent Media Independent Media Center, grew out of anti-WTO protests. (Up 12/28/05; posted 3/28/03)

Brookings Institute Covers world affairs, but has economic and policy analysis. (Up 1/4/06; posted 7/6/00)

Moving Ideas Links to interesting items from various progressive sites, (Up 1/4/06; posted 1/09/00)

IPS Institute for Policy Studies. Self description: "the nation’s oldest multi-issue progressive think tank" (Up 1/4/06; posted 4/9/03)

IF Magazine. "In the independent tradition of George Seldes's In Fact and I. F. stone." Consortium news, its publisher, has a policy oriented web site. (Up 1/4/06; posted 2/28/00)

BBC Good old BBC. I keep hearing about attempts to gut their international coverage, so listen to them while you can. Their web site has a wide range of stories on various places in the world. (Up 6/22/07, posted 7/8/00)

Foreign Media Reaction US State Department's summary of foreign media reaction to the US Wonderful. In dry, "just the facts style" they reprint a great deal of blistering criticism of US foreign policy. Has now disappeared! (Up 6/4/04, posted 2/28/00)

The Hill "The Newspaper for and about the US Congress" (Up 9/2/06; posted 11/17/04)

Politics Now Weekly political roundup. (Up 10/13/07; posted 9/20/06)

Natl Political Observer "Offering News and Commentary on Political, Cultural & Media Warfare in the United States". Provides references to interesting articles with some comment. (Up 9/8/05; posted 1/30/05)

Political Wire By Taegan Goddard. Reports political news, elections, etc. (Up 10/13/07; posted 11/17/04)

Manchester Guardian (Print Weekly, web daily). Coverage of many things the normal US newspaper doesn't bother to tell us. Good for understanding why other countries behave the way they do (golly, they actually have reasons). By contrast in a US paper other countries are either our loyal allies following us without question, or are being difficult for some unaccountable reason. (Up 10/13/07; posted 9/15/01)

C-SPAN Access to many primary sources. (Up 11/19/05; posted 5/30/04)

Economist Right wing and upper class, especially on economic matters (don't look here for globalization news!), but surprisingly open on many other issues. Often attacks US Middle East policy and doesn't disseminate as much propaganda as US mass media. (Up 4/16/06; posted 10/8/01)

Pacific News Service A focus on alternative, multicultural and other stories the mainstream media omits. (Up 10/18/06; posted 6/5/04)

PolState State by state political reporting and analysis. (Up 11/18/06; posted 5/11/03)

Financial Times Right wing, especially on economic matters, but surprisingly open on some other issues. No fan of the Iraq war. (Up 4/18/06; posted 10/8/01)

NPR National Public Radio. Has headlines, but its features and perspectives are its greater value. (Up 12/27/05; posted 6/5/04)

Reuters Much online content. (Up 10/8/06; posted 3/27/03)

CNN Inside Politics Conventional news. (Up 5/30/04)

Brookings Institute Classic think tank. (Up 9/2/06)

World News network Headlines. (Up 12/28/05; posted 10/8/01)

Conservative but useful

These at least attempt to use data and argue responsibly. What a short list.

Cato Institute Libertarian; small government; market fanatics. (Up 9/2/06)

One interesting dimension of the current crisis is how often humorist have more 'gravitas' than 'serious' commentary: Jon Stewart's smackdown of Crossfire is the perigdmatic incident.

I'm Against It "Whatever it is, I'm against it." Wonderfully snarky comments on politics. (Up 3/10/08; posted 10/16/05)

Needlenose "We needle; you decide." Snarky comments on politics. (Up 6/26/07; posted 10/16/05)

Get Your War On Very funny, and very obsene comics against Bush. (Up 10/18/06)

The Daily Show Web site is a little disjointed, but the TV show is the thing. Amazing how Jon Stewart has more gravitas than most politicians. (Up 9/2/06; posted 12/27/05)

Lewis Black Nuff' said. (Up 7/20/06)

This Modern World Tom Tomorrow! (Up 7/2/06)

Stephanie Miller The best of the liberal talk show hosts. (Up 12/27/05)

Hollywood Liberal (Up 9/20/06)

JibJab Home of many satirical videos. (Up 12/27/05)

Al Franken His use of silence and the pause for comic effect is reminiscent of Jack Benny. (Up 12/27/05)

Offbeat

Rigorous Intuition "What you don't know can't hurt them." By Jeff Wells, a "Cautiously pessimistic Canadian." Quite the conspiracy theorist (he orates about how UFO reports are likely government disinformation to cover up the real scandal; sees every intelligence organization and the Catholic Church as involved in a massive child kidnapping and pedophilia ring) but he has some interesting links. (Up 3/10/08; posted 1/30/05)

Not recommended

These sources are often in the news, but have problems in how they present the news.

Spin Sanity Rebuttal of left and right "spin." Can be quite dishonest in what it chooses to slam on the left, getting bent about technical or insignificant problems compared to what it objects to from the right. It's a popular site, but I can't really recommend it. (Up 7/29/04; posted 2/16/03)

The News Hour PBS. Still too prone to limit itself to former government officials, but often interesting for evidence that even middle-of-the-road respectable types think the conservatives are nuts. (Up 4/18/06; posted 1/09/00)

Insight on the News. A magazine from the very conservative Washington Times. What this magazine is useful for is its coverage of stories about the government spying or violating civil liberties. To the extent those are done by neo-liberals, this mag is opposed to them.