May 26, 2004

Taking It

The Commissar loves blogging, the blogosphere, and bloggers (okay, some more than others). We are watching it, living it, participating in it, as it grows, however painfully, messily, or reprehensibly.

As this unfolds, recall what Reactionary Bush said on Monday night, about the war on terror: "We take the world as we find it."

The world of blogging keeps growing. Now, with the Wonkette/Washingtonienne (W/W) story, blogging has changed, with yet one more event. Blogs have made a big splash before, notably The Agonist, The Command Post, et al. during the Iraq War; and various blogs with the Paris Hilt0n and Nick B3rg videos. During the war, Sean-Paul Kelley made the rounds of cable news shows. Many bloggers experienced huge traffic spikes by covering those stories. But those were stories that the internet in general and maybe blogs in particular merely helped to cover or facilitate.

Now we have Jessica Cutler, where the story is "of the bloggers, by the bloggers, and for the bloggers." (May Abraham Lincoln forgive me for that.)

Now bloggers are making the rounds of cable news shows. Major newspapers are covering the story. Traffic is surging. But this time is different; now bloggers are the story. Like it or not, that "blaringly manipulative, super-smarmy little fucktard gabby-gab-sex-fest" has pushed blogging forward a notch. Last night, Joe Scarborough interviewed her, and in closing, he painfully traced (yet again) the etymology of the word "blog." "And the next time you're on that thing called the internet, check out the blogs."

There it is, comrades. We've moved beyond, or added to, covering heiress sex romps, calculated halftime exposures, and gruesome executions. Now, blogs and bloggers ARE the story.

The New Rush Limbaugh

Wonkette's new prominence has changed the blogosphere in another way.

Before the early 1990's, Liberals owned all media, all personalities, all opinion that was edgy, funny, satirical, provocative, witty, irreverent. Except for the obscurely erudite wit of William F. Buckley, conservatives had to make do with Wayne Newton and such. If it wasn't stodgy, it was Lefty. Then, unforgiveably, Rush Limbaugh turned that upside down. Libs don't hate Rush because he's "hateful, divisive, reactionary, etc. etc." His real sin is that he stole "edgy and irreverent" from them. He invaded their turf.

In the Blogosphere (VRWC bloggers, take note), Wonkette has accomplished the same feat. (I'll digress briefly to note that Ana Marie Cox is a self-proclaimed, albeit tongue-in-cheek "big fat Commie pinko." Despite her claim to ridicule whomever needs ridiculing, on any side, her views show through.) So far, the Left side of the blogosphere has been limited to the Krugmans-on-steroids, the relentless & humorless Bush-haters, the modern Savonarolas, the sufferers from & purveyors of BDS (Bush Derangement Syndrome), bloggers like dKos, Atrios, and Max Sawicky. The VRWC has had a monopoly on entertaining, irreverent bloggers: Lileks, Scrappleface, Misha, Allah, Iowahawk, and Wizbang, to name a few. No more of this monopoly by Reactionary Capitalists; Wonkette has penetrated it.

Like her or not, comrades, Wonkette has pushed her way into the A-List. 140,000 hits daily for the past week. That may not be sustained, but it's no one-day Instalanche. Maybe she backed her way into it, ass-first, if you like, but that is the "world as we find it." Sorry, Comrade Bill, but we too, must "take it."

The blogosphere is bigger than it was a week ago, thanks to two Washington chick bloggers who "take it."



Posted by Commissar at May 26, 2004 09:26 AM
Confessions

Um, what's with the faux-lesbian photos. Now I really think Wonkette is a dirty manipulative media whore ...

Your thoughts reflect reality, yet are depressing, Comrade.

REMINDER: THE WOMAN ON THE RIGHT HAD ANAL SEX FOR MONEY, WITH LIKE 7 GUYS IN THE SAME PERIOD.

That is all.

Extracted from: Bill from INDC Journal at May 26, 2004 11:31 AM

Nice analysis comrade, but ugh. Just ugh. If these two skanks are going to be what the unwashed masses think of from now on when they hear the term blog or blogging, I'm gonna have to come up with a new word for what I do. I don't plan on popping any champagne over blogdom's big break, but I will drink to W/W's fifteen minutes being over. Let's hope it's soon.

Extracted from: Skillzy at May 26, 2004 11:34 AM

My only hope, and I swear to god it's a sincere one, is that this story will steal column inches from more dead-horse-beating over Abu Ghraib.

Extracted from: Jeff Harrell at May 26, 2004 12:50 PM

Ass like a ten year old boy...and titties...make you stand up and beg for buttermilk.

That is all.

Extracted from: sentinel at May 26, 2004 12:53 PM

"Um, what's with the faux-lesbian photos. Now I really think Wonkette is a dirty manipulative media whore ..."

I agree...and..er...uh...where can I get more pics?

Extracted from: Rusty Shackleford at May 26, 2004 01:03 PM

Couple of skeezers... I'd do em... only both at the same time... you would too... don't lie!

Extracted from: Madfish Willie at May 26, 2004 01:07 PM

I'm not sure if I would do them ... after all, there's not much sensation when you need to wear like 6 rubbers at the same time.

Extracted from: Bill from INDC Journal at May 26, 2004 01:40 PM

Guys, I'm annoyed that Wonkette started after me and now has umpteen times my daily hits, too*, but that's just the way it goes.

Moe

*OK, so that's my particular problem, not anybody else's. But you get the idea.

Extracted from: Moe Lane at May 26, 2004 01:48 PM

Bill,
I think you got a bit of the gay in your blood!

Extracted from: Rusty Shackleford at May 26, 2004 02:26 PM

Nice troll, Moe, but it's not about hits for me. never has been. It's about the celebration of crack whore-ish behavior in a weblog. I'm gonna write a post about this sometime, but bottom line, there's nothing that I'm envious of. "Embarassed by" is more like it.

Extracted from: Skillzy at May 26, 2004 02:29 PM

"Nice troll, Moe,"

If I was going to troll you, you'd know.

Extracted from: Moe Lane at May 26, 2004 03:12 PM

I guess the operative theory is that there's no such thing as bad publicity for the blogosphere? I'm not sure that I buy it. Maybe we get a little extra traffic at first from folks titillated by this story, but unless you're running a sex-oriented blog, it won't last (and none of us guys would be able to compete against the women anyway).

I really don't get the fascination with Wonkette. She's had a couple funny takes but most of the time she falls flat. To me, she's Maureen Dowd with jokes about anal sex.

Extracted from: Brainster at May 26, 2004 03:32 PM

troll/not a troll, tomayto/tomahto

Bottom line, there are some female bloggers out there who won't touch this because if they say anything negative, it's immediately pooh-poohed as petty jealousy over popularity/looks, what have you. Your comment, troll or not, tends to belittle what some see as valid issues.

Extracted from: skillzy at May 26, 2004 03:37 PM

Nyet! Bottom line is Commissar has THE FUNNY.

Extracted from: Rusty Shackleford at May 26, 2004 04:52 PM

Ok, Nick Denton's gone too far now - have you seen the latest site he's sponsoring:

http://www.erosdc.com

Extracted from: Bill from INDC at May 26, 2004 06:48 PM

I never vistit Wonkette's site, and I don't have cable at home to watch Foxnews. So, I'm almost sorry that I don't have much idea of what's going on in this post.

Doesn't look like the sort of thing I'd get invited to, anyway...

Extracted from: The Sanity Inspector at May 26, 2004 10:37 PM

Skillzy made me write a post about blogger femanism- he made me do it.

Extracted from: Comrade Jane at May 27, 2004 12:12 AM

ok someone mentioned dowd and just ruined it all for me. thanks a whole fuckin lot.. sheesh..

Extracted from: rumcrook at May 27, 2004 03:21 AM

Have to admit it, I probably would. But I would SO not respect myself in the morning...

Extracted from: lex at May 27, 2004 09:01 AM

Oh my God the sites been renamed Wankette...

Extracted from: Rob Read at May 27, 2004 10:37 AM

"I'm not sure if I would do them ... after all, there's not much sensation when you need to wear like 6 rubbers at the same time."

Well, Bill of INDC Station, this is why it is always prudent to keep a gallon of Sears Weatherbeater Exterior Paint on the nightstand. Just stir well, dip that puppy in, and let it dry. You won't get longer lasting latex protection for you home or your bone.

Available in Flat, Semi-Gloss, and Gloss finish! And for the Metrosexual Male, it can be custom mixed to match any decor.

Extracted from: Mamamontezz at May 27, 2004 10:44 AM

Mama,

Bill inquires about availability of half-pint size.

Extracted from: Commissar at May 27, 2004 11:05 AM

And here's a twist on an old Bob Seger song, which fits these two bloggers perfectly:

They do respect her butt...
They all know that she's a SLUT!

Sorry Bob!

Extracted from: Macker at May 27, 2004 11:43 AM

its funny - I read the washingtoninne blog mirror, and well, she is a little whore. Why on earth would someone actually admit to taking money to let someone ass ram you?

Extracted from: Bender at May 27, 2004 12:17 PM

No, not in HalfPints. But it does come in Quarts.

Extracted from: Mamamontezz at May 27, 2004 09:52 PM

Psh! Neither one would last a veek in KGB Svallow Academy.

Trick is to kiss (etc.) and NOT tell. Except to KGB superior officers.

Extracted from: Natasha Fatale at May 28, 2004 09:46 PM

No, elephants come in quarts.

Extracted from: hungryvalley at May 30, 2004 10:47 PM