Thursday, July 03, 2008

Bloggers' Progress

My congratulations to Daniel Larison and James Poulos for being mentioned in David Brooks’ most recent New York Times column.

Brooks characterizes them as part of a group of “young and unpredictable rightward-leaning writers,” most of whom
… did not rise through the official channels of the conservative or libertarian establishments. By and large, they didn’t do the internships or take part in the young leader programs that were designed to replenish “the movement.” Instead, they found their voices while blogging.

An analysis of the effectiveness of the conservative/Republican “feeder system” could be entertaining to read. A movement that takes young people from the imbalanced ideological hothouse of the undergraduate life and throws them into a think tank or a congressional office similarly lacking in flexibility can’t expect to produce many competent and broadly interested critics like those Brooks praises, not to mention future leaders.

I’d like to think Larison’s and Poulos’ advance elevates me to the second tier of the national discussion merely by virtue of their respective blogs’ welcome permalinks to Philokalia Republic.

Alas, such status must come from this blog's own quality and productivity. Happily increasing work commitments and continued physical rehab have hampered my contributions here, though I have several “almost done” works to be added in the coming weeks. Curious readers may peruse my StumbleUpon Log for clues about my recent thoughts.

Happy Independence Day.

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