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.
Cool. Should be good fun and we’ll have a better comments section than BJ. Just don’t go for the pet obsession thing.Report
Liberalllls !Report
Of course I’ll join you! I think it’s splendid that you’ve decided to coalesce to form a unified “voice of the Left” here at OT, and it’s wonderful to have such intelligent, thoughtful writers contributing to the intellectual ferment and diversity of opinions.
Mazel tov.Report
Good doctor, the door is not open – it’s blown away. Join us! Solidarity!Report
Well, if that’s an invitation to contribute from time to time, I’d be delighted. Provided I can meet the “best, most incisive, most well-written” standard. (Thankfully, Blinded Trials affords me ample space to shovel out the stuff I usually write.) But if I’m feeling particularly Leftist, I might pester you about whether it might fit in well here.Report
Russell, you’ve already got the “most incisive, most well-written” part down pat. Why not try a little leftism? Studies have shown it’s good for the brain.Report
I look forward to it!Report
I don’t know why, but Ethan’s stuff has rarely struck me as clearly coming from “The Left”…maybe for the same reason that when we took that “2012 Candidate Quiz”, I came out with almost as much affinity for Jill Stein as I did for Gary Johnson…like maybe he hits where both libertarianish and leftish start to shade into anarchish?
NOTE TO SELF: Register new political party: the Ish Party…where we takes the best, and we leaves the rest.
Anyway, cool new digs, guys.Report
I assume we won’t be hearing much about the negation of the negation, but eh, la gauche est le centre est la gauche.
And I was hoping you’d join the party Jaybird and I are starting, the Tear It All Down Party (TAD). James H. said he wants to come to our meetings.Report
Can “I’m Against It” be our theme song? If so, I’m in.Report
(~)(~)Subvert the dominant paradigm!!!Report
Glyph, it can be our theme song until we tear that down too.Report
Wouldn’t you have to tear down your own group as well? I mean, once it’s formalized and all …Report
Politics Will Eat Itself.Report
Not to say too much about my own politics, but yeah, that’s sorta the point, for me at least. Once institutions get all reified and such, they tend to become more trouble than they’re worth. Power only cares about power. TAD! And then TAD again!Report
Seems to me it’s more better if you exempt your group from the “tearing down” and hold on while the rubes try to figure out if you’ve pulled one over on them. That’s politics.Report
I’m a very bad liberal when it comes to debates over activism strategies, bureaucracies and identity politics.Report
Also, you haven’t seen me write about economics anytime recently : )Report
Yeah, maybe I am thinking of the civil liberties stuff.Report
Some liberties are more civil than others.Report
There are things that should never get torn down, and among them are the Marx Brothers.Report
This is pretty exciting stuff. All of you guys are great writers and an interesting, thoughtful, creative thinkers, so I’ll be checking in regularly.Report
I look forward to reading your posts. It helps that its a lot easier to follow all the sub-blogs with the new format.Report
Welcome!Report
Very excited to see where this goes. Elias and Ethan, you guys just need to make sure to keep Shawn posting on a (semi) regular basis.
Not that I’m one to talk.Report
+1,000Report
Cool! I look forward to reading it.Report
I’ll echo everyone else by saying that I look forward to this and the rousing debates that this will engender.Report
Great title. I look forward to learning lots from you ordinary lefties.Report
I think you guys are a good fit together. And I enjoy the name you’ve chosen, too.Report