Escaping the ideological echo-chamber

October 23, 2008 9:13 AM

Help me find some thoughtful conservative writers or bloggers to follow.

I'm an American whose personal politics are left-of-center. I'm very progressive on social issues, somewhat more moderate on economic issues (think technocratic Democrat - I believe in a philosophy of muscular but well-regulated capitalism). I've been very opposed to the Iraq war and horrified by the erosion of our civil liberties in the US over the last 8 years.

I read a lot of liberal US bloggers and writers: Talking Points Memo, Paul Krugman, Matthew Yglesias, Ezra Klein, Brad DeLong and many more. These people write things I disagree with, but they are almost always thoughtful and even when I have a strongly opposing point of view I almost always come away feeling like I was challenged in a constructive way.

However, I don't want to live inside my own ideological echo-chamber all the time. I've been making a conscious effort to add some solid, intellectual conservative writers to the mix as well. I read Andrew Sullivan, but although he identifies as a conservative, he's been so hard in the tank for Obama the last twelve months that he barely qualifies.

So far, I'm reading The Next Right, Culture 11 and have subscribed to Reason magazine. I'm looking for more publications or writers like these - I may disagree with their ideas VEHEMENTLY, but they (usually) make their points in a thoughtful, fact-based and non-hysterical way, and so challenge instead of enraging me. Think less Rush Limbaugh or Ann Coulter and more Russell Kirk: calling Obama a "socialist" on a regular basis, for example, is an immediate disqualification in the "thoughtful", "fact-based" and "non-hysterical" departments.

Any ideas? If you're liberal or moderate, what conservatives do you respect? If you're a conservative who also reads books and loves talking substance about ideas, what conservatives do you feel best speak for you?

posted by hansfriedrich to society & culture (31 comments total)

Conservatives:

National Review and its blog, The Corner

Ross Douthat

Bloggingheads -- video conversations, often with a liberal against a conservative (search for diavlogs with Jonah Goldberg, Jim Pinkerton, Byron York, Ross Douthat, Ramesh Ponnuru, etc.)


Libertarians:

Will Wilkinson

Megan McArdle
posted by Jaltcoh at 9:21 AM on October 23, 2008

Conservative turn-coat Andrew Sullivan is your one-stop shop for intelligent analysis and fluid prose.
posted by Gordion Knott at 9:22 AM on October 23, 2008

If you read Culture 11, you'll probably also like Daniel Larison. Smart guy, really good discussions on the blog, opens up a window into some interesting paleocon thought.
posted by neroli at 9:29 AM on October 23, 2008

Reason magazine is good, though definitely libertarian rather than right (in that vein, Liberty is also beyond excellent). You might like conservative/libertarian mostly legal blog The Volokh Conspiracy. City Journal has some excellent articles and covers a large variety of topics, though from my perspective they seem (sometimes excessively) socially conservative. My favorite City Journal writer is Theodore Dalrymple (a pseudonym): British, sometimes acerbic and sometimes genial, and a welcome distraction from the US political scene. If I can make a general observation: conservative writing online tends to be less interesting than conservative writing in print because 1) older, more thoughtful right writers and publishing houses tend to be less internet savvy and 2) the "netroots" tends to be shrill and emotional generally. As a final thought, you might like the Chicago-school political/legal/economic blog The Becker-Posner Blog, apparently technically indebted to a certain primary MeFite.

I'm a minarchist, maximum-individual-freedom sort of guy so I don't agree with a lot of what shows up in some of these columns but it is a welcome change from the generally cannibalistic and repetitive left blog scene.

In print, I've been meaning to read Justice Scalia's A Matter of Interpretation: Federal Courts and the Law but haven't gotten around to it; it is supposedly quite good.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 9:32 AM on October 23, 2008

Oh, and if I can weigh in against Ross Douthat: he co-authored Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class And Save the American Dream , which advocates the adoption by the right of redistributive tax and spending policies. As a consequence, his writing on that topic is notable more for its novelty than for its value and positions anyone who isn't a neoconservative but wants to remain influential in politics to have zero influence on debates. In my view, that amounts to handing legitimacy to a principle that defies the supposed essence of conservatism.
posted by Inspector.Gadget at 9:36 AM on October 23, 2008

Conservative turn-coat Andrew Sullivan is your one-stop shop for intelligent analysis and fluid prose.

Although you might be a bit surprised. He's fervently anti-McCain (and, therefore, pro-Obama) this election cycle.
posted by Taken Outtacontext at 9:37 AM on October 23, 2008

"and more Russell Kirk: calling Obama a "socialist" on a regular basis, for example, is an immediate disqualification in the "thoughtful", "fact-based" and "non-hysterical" departments."

Except he'd probably do exactly that... which is why you see the folks on the Corner, suggested above doing it.

Previously: What are the quality magazines of Conservative (U.S.) political/social opinion?

This list is really the same as it was then. Most of these magazines have blogs associated with them or you can google the authors who publish in them and find independent blogs and/or the blogs who quote them.
posted by Jahaza at 9:40 AM on October 23, 2008

I've gotta disagree with Gordion Knott. Sullivan may call himself a conservative, but as you acknowledge in your question, you're looking for a conservative advocate, not a conservative apostate.

Here's my list:

- David Brooks' columns in the New York Times.
- Rich Lowry's National Review columns (he's probably the most mature & sensible of the conservatives over there).
- Douthat and Salaam
- Charles Krauthammer.
posted by BobbyVan at 9:43 AM on October 23, 2008

He's more of a gadfly than proponent of any ideology, but Mickey Kaus tends to attack from a slightly right-of-center position.

(disclaimer: I stopped following him around '04, don't know if he's changed)
posted by mkultra at 9:44 AM on October 23, 2008

Great answers so far guys. BobbyVan - yeah, exactly right on Sullivan. I think the guy is a tremendous mind, and enjoy his writing, but I am looking for someone who is still advocating the conservative cause in a thoughtful way. Sullivan feels more like an apparatus of the Obama campaign these days - I'm a huge Obama fan, all things considered, but not what I'm looking for here.

Jahaza - perhaps, on Kirk, but overall I'm just wanting to trade the short-hands of "McCain is a fascist" or "Obama is a socialist" for a more substantial critique of progressive taxation, etc. Kirk was at least a very deep thinker, something that can't be said for some of what passes for "thinking" over on the Corner these days.
posted by hansfriedrich at 9:52 AM on October 23, 2008

"and more Russell Kirk: calling Obama a "socialist" on a regular basis, for example, is an immediate disqualification in the "thoughtful", "fact-based" and "non-hysterical" departments."

Except he'd probably do exactly that... which is why you see the folks on the Corner, suggested above doing it.

Possibly, but if he called someone an elitist he would have meant it as a compliment. I cannot in a billion years see Russell Kirk voting for Palin.
posted by atrazine at 10:10 AM on October 23, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

I enjoy reading Stephen Bainbridge and Radley Balko.
posted by maggieb at 10:48 AM on October 23, 2008

Again though, Balko (who is great) is not really a conservative. He's a libertarian.
posted by atrazine at 10:49 AM on October 23, 2008

As a raging left-winger, even I must admit that, at times, George Will has a point.

This is his Washington Post archive - you'll need to register to see it, but the registration is free and you don't need to wait for a confirmation e-mail.
posted by EatTheWeak at 10:50 AM on October 23, 2008

He's focused on the economy (and more of a "classic" conservative, so while no great fan of Democrats in general he's quite against McCain) but I've always enoyed the Cunning Realist. He was way ahead of the curve on the recent and ongoing meltdown.

And I'm sorry, The National Review I once subscribed to for an intelligent look into the "other side" has devolved from the voice of Buckley to the voice of Coulter and Malkin - Blame it on liberal bias, but I've considered the Corner a cesspool for sometime.
posted by jalexei at 10:52 AM on October 23, 2008

He's more of a gadfly than proponent of any ideology, but Mickey Kaus tends to attack from a slightly right-of-center position.

That's not true. He has idiosyncratic views, but he consistently refers to himself as a Democrat, and he's supported every Democratic presidential candidate going back at least to Bill Clinton and probably earlier.
posted by Jaltcoh at 10:52 AM on October 23, 2008

(every Democratic nominee, that is)
posted by Jaltcoh at 10:53 AM on October 23, 2008

The National Review I once subscribed to for an intelligent look into the "other side" has devolved from the voice of Buckley to the voice of Coulter and Malkin

Interesting, then, that they fired Ann Coulter in 2001.
posted by Jaltcoh at 10:53 AM on October 23, 2008

The American Scene is a blog that Salam and Douthat started years ago. I don't think Ross still posts there, but Reihan does. It now has a bunch of other conservative bloggers as well. I like reading it, and I'm pretty liberal, because it's well written and not shouty.
posted by bluefly at 11:58 AM on October 23, 2008

PowerLineBlog has some pretty good analysis from time to time.

Mark Steyn is probably one of the most brilliant and gifted conservative writers out there. He frequently employs sarcasm and/or snark in his writing, so if that offends you, please get over it and read it anyway. It's worth it. He also writes a lot on arts and culture, which is very interesting if you're into that sort of thing.
posted by jluce50 at 12:01 PM on October 23, 2008

Taki
posted by parmanparman at 2:04 PM on October 23, 2008

If you are looking for writing that is always intelligent and generally right-of-centre on trade and economic issues, you can't do much better than The Economist.

That being said, they are very liberal on social issues (gay marriage, drugs, etc).
posted by sindark at 2:12 PM on October 23, 2008

There are conservatives and there are conservatives. The whole neo-conservative movement is widely viewed with horror and disdain by the paleos. Plenty who have no use for Obama or for McCain. Or George Will, or Charles Krautheimer, for that matter.

To your question, though.

Seconding Taki Theodorokopolos. Great fun to read and not what immediately comes to mind when you say Conservative. Check out his memoir for a little entertaining perspective.

Lot of vehemence in Chronicles (for which Taki also writes, though he seems somewhat out of place there). It has its odd obsessions (the Tragedy of Serbia, for some reason), but it has its moments. Very anti-Iraq war, both for the damage it does America and the damage it does Iraq. Has been known to publish Gore Vidal.

James Bowman is mostly an arts type, but speaks to the Issues of the Day. And of the ages.

VDare is mostly on immigration, but it goes elsewhere as well.

You'll find further connections in most any of these sites. (Out of curiosity, I'd be interested in knowing what you make of some of these.)
posted by IndigoJones at 3:20 PM on October 23, 2008

Thanks guys, fantastic list so far. Some are a little strident for my taste (Jonah Goldberg, author of "Liberal Fascism", and the folks at the Corner spring to mind), others look fascinating and I'll be digging into these in the coming days. I want to get a better feel for the current intellectual conservative tradition, and this looks like a good start. I'd rather people were introduced to liberalism through the American Prospect than through Michael Moore, just as I'm sure a lot of conservatives wouldn't put Limbaugh forward as the best arbiter if their thought either. Philosophers and thinkers, not entertainers, being the operative idea here.
posted by hansfriedrich at 4:03 PM on October 23, 2008

But would the American Prospect out and out disown Michael Moore? The way many conservatives do Mr Limbaugh?

My impression, and it could be wrong, is that there is more polarization within the right than within the left. Thoughts?
posted by IndigoJones at 4:55 PM on October 23, 2008

George Will? I would definitely describe him as "thoughtful", "fact-based", and "non-hysterical". He's pretty reasonable and logical.. not as buffoonish as others from the party. Google search, Washington Post archive.
posted by Mael Oui at 8:45 PM on October 23, 2008

(About VDare: my impression from a few things I read on there a while ago was that it's a borderline white-power/white-nationalist site, or that some of their authors trend that way. This could have been an unrepresentative sample, and I don't have any idea what the specific articles were, so obviously huge grain of salt. But at any rate, worth being aware of the possible creepiness factor if you're going to read any of this at work or on public computers.)
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:44 PM on October 23, 2008

Seconding The American Scene and Will Wilkinson (who is very much a libertarian, and a unique one at that). I'd also add Eunomia to the above. Also, Freddie DeBoer, who occasionally writes for both Culture11 and TAS. If you're subscribed to Reason magazine, you ought also to subscribe to their blog, Hit & Run, though they, too, are not conservatives.
posted by ecmendenhall at 8:13 AM on October 24, 2008

[Blog suggestions, not armchair neurosociology, please. Feel free to repost the suggestions without the editorial.]
posted by cortex at 3:08 PM on October 24, 2008

(About VDare: my impression from a few things I read on there a while ago was that it's a borderline white-power/white-nationalist site, or that some of their authors trend that way.

Probably fails the non hysterical test as well. On reflection, I probably would not have added it if I were doing this again.
posted by IndigoJones at 1:23 PM on October 25, 2008

Some thoughtful conversations can be found in the archives of Politico's Arena.
posted by maggieb at 5:49 PM on October 26, 2008