A Healthy Commotion – An Introduction

I’m not going to ask you to read a flowery, self-regarding introduction to this blog. That would be annoying. Instead, I’m just going to tell you what this blog intends to do and what it hopes to be. When it comes to the doing, the answer is simple: putting out, on a daily basis, some of the best, most incisive, and most well-written commentary on American politics you can find, period. But when it comes to the being — well, beyond the voice of the Left here at Ordinary Times, that’s a little harder to say.

For those already well-ensconced in the political blogosphere, think of A Healthy Commotion as an attempt to marry the best parts of Balloon Juice and Crooked Timber. For those blissfully unaware of what the hell that means, the answer is: a group blog that doesn’t take itself too seriously while, at the same time, taking politics and political ideology very seriously. You’ll find smart-but-lighthearted remarks on whatever’s consuming mainstream political journalism, but you’ll also find thoughtful and informed pieces on the larger ideological and material trends that determine the parameters of our political world.

In short, we intend to create and contribute to what Howard Zinn called “that healthy commotion that has always attended the growth of justice.” We hope you’ll join us.