ArchPundit

Since I’m having some problems–first, anonymous commenters should only be using one handle in comments. The particular person currently using at least two will have their comments deleted if more than one handle is used again.

Some folks use their real name and an anonymous handle–that is okay, but only one anonymous handle.

Second, I’ll be doing open threads through the primary at least–please don’t put off-topic comments in substantive posts–you’ll be able to rant all you want in the open thread.

Third, one particular person should carefully consider if their ranting is doing their cause more harm than good. I won’t stop the person from posting (other than if they use two handles), but really, check yourself.

Consider this a general open thread.

Probably the trademark of Blogging is the use of bad puns in titles, fortunately, one of the newest bloggers has that down already. Zorn will be happy that the order of the posts is most recent first…

She also had someone get snarky with her over a Durbin quote with Rich Miller coming in and slapping them around in comments for being stupid.

One thing I find is that many bloggers and blog readers assume that journalism is just some job, and not a profession with strong ethical standards. It goes along with the assumption that reporting is actually easy and all that any reporter does is go to press conferences—there are some who do that and they usually are in front of a camera, but tracking down sources and getting useful information is incredibly difficult. The first point is more important because when someone accuses a reporter of lifting a quote, that’s a serious charge–especially someone of the stature of Sweet. Too many bloggers and blog readers don’t get that and too often attack reporters without understanding the context or, especially how politicians reuse lines, just makes one look like an ass.

Comments and trackbacks even so it looks good–and, of course, she got to gripe about the Washington Times plagerizing her as well, which complaining about the WT, is another favorite past time on blogs. (small thing about Markos–he was raised largely in Schaumburg, but also spent some of his early years in El Salvador-at a time when the civil war was very hot).

And, of course, this only ups the ante in her and the Trib’s Jeff Zeleney in a contest to see who can write more words about Barack Obama. Fortunately for the readers, both can actually write and usually find interesting angles.

Most disappointing thing about the coverage the McCain-Obama spat story in the Illinois press–no one pointed out that McCain and Fitzgerald got into screaming matches on the floor of the U.S. Senate over O’Hare. McCain getting snarky or losing his temper is about as noteworthy as John Kerry doing a liveshot.

On a more serious note, I’ve never been one of those who moan about the good ole days of blogs when it was this insurgent movement (AKA dorks without lives ranting). It’s a way of delivering information and providing far greater analysis that is available in an column or even a good news story. When good reporters do blogs you get someone filling in details that don’t make the paper and a more complete analysis. I was excited when Eric started, and most of those who have followed have been good additions–but someone at the Trib needs to get an RSS feed for Charles Madigan.

It is nice that blogs give more access to more divergent voices and it provides a good check on bad reporting, but in the hands of good reporters, it provides citizens with more information. I’m happy to blast people who I think are being lazy–hello Tim Russert—but too many bloggers don’t point out the good work that does go on–Eric, Maureen Ryan (best TV journalist out there), and now Sweet and the Swamp over at the Trib all deserve that sort of credit.

As an extra bonus, Lynn can start posting a minute by minute account of Obama’s fundraisers….

Stop by and give him congratulations

As always, if an ad interests you, please take a look–SoapBox Chicago is to the right and is really getting a good momentum going on…

The AFSCME spring break is a great idea for students out there. 

DCCC and DSCC both have Abramoff themed ads up–in some extra fun, Santorum is denying any connection to the K-Street project.  Personally, I can’t tell you how strongly I support Roy Blunt for Majority Leader. He’s just good for bidness.

Finally, a new book on the right–one I’m not familiar with, but it looks interesting. 

Governing’s 13th Floor discusses the political tilt of state centered blogs

. My general take is that state centered blogs have generally tilted to the left, but the reasons for it don’t quite fit the Texas case in Illinois. Obviously, Democrats aren’t feeling left out of the Illinois government, but my sense is that Democrats have fewer grassroots organizations in which they funnel their activism. With the conservative build-up of grassroots organizations over time, there were other avenues for funneling their activism. Left leaning activists are building a bunch of organizations and blogs came along at the same time so they go hand-in-hand.

That’s changing in Illinois even as many who were contributors to the the Leader and such are now taking part in the Illinois Review (which will be blog rolled soon).

More interesting is the change in types of blogs which largely began with people like South Knox Bubba (RIP), Off the Kuff, and me, state centered blogs were largely outsiders who watched politics from afar and most of us became more involved in regular politics through the blog. Now, more of the newer blogs are being started by activists. That will change the nature of the blogs. Charles Kuffner, Bubba, and I began as independent though certainly with a left tilt, but without the entanglements that come from being an activist. That’s changed for Charles and I to some point, I’d guess (Bubba’s out of the game), but it’s mostly changed for those who are starting new blogs.

And IlliniPundit, get your ass back to the blog. It’s participatory journalism, it goes with the whole deal. Stop whining and write.

I’m catching up on e-mail. If you sent me something important and haven’t heard back by tomorrow sometime, send it again. I’m not quite caught up, but I’m getting there.

Also, I’m going to be looking into having guest posters for when I’m swamped. It won’t be terribly often, but there’s a lot I missed and I’d rather have the site with new material all of the time. For now, I’m not taking volunteers as much as contacting some likely candidates.

Also, look for some candidate interviews soon–in fact, any candidates out there who would like to do an interview should contact me. I can’t promise I can do them all, but I’ll do as many as I can.

Some anonymous reviewers tend to think far more highly of their statistical prowess than they should–making it difficult to respond without having to give them a beginning graduate level of stats in a paper. ArcMap was a different matter dealing with understanding the relatively new interface that I hadn’t used until now.

We should be back to normal. Thanks for Bill for reminding me there were other things to do besides fret about a revisions.

Yeah. Anyway, feeling better, should be posting over the weekend including the rest of the FEC reports (the interesting ones) and the most recent polls.

First, I’m sorry to hear that–as with any colleague, even when it’s an obvious decision (and this one wasn’t obvious), I hate to see it.

The problem with some suggestions that it is due to blogging is that Dan’s at the University of Chicago and any tenure decision is a far higher standard than at other Universities. Dan would have received tenure at most other schools other than Ivy’s or Ivy like institutions where he’d still have a great shot most of the time.

The truth is that overall tenure decisions result in good results…high quality and productive academics being given large degrees of freedom of inquiry. The problem is that like all outcomes in general, there are exceptions and some well qualified people fall through. Whether Dan should have gotten tenure is a question for his colleagues in one sense. His publication record is quite impressive, but again, the standard at U Chicago isn’t just to be a productive working scientist who will make contributions to the field, but a social scientist who will dramatically contribute to the field. Where that line is, is hard to define. In addition, Dan’s work is evaluated by outside people who, depending on their work and how compatible it is with Dan’s, may simply have said he is a good scholar when U Chicago is looking for a great scholar.

I think the tenure granting rate is around 50% at most institutions and I don’t know if U Chicago is above or below that or if PoliSci there is higher or lower than the rest of the institution, but assuming from two recent cases it was the blogs fault is making a mistake.

And while I feel bad for Dan, he’ll land on his feet with his CV and a high quality institution will grant him tenure if he stays in academia (something I hope he does). He’s got books with great academic press’ and some high quality publications in high powered journals.

As someone who hopes to be in a tenure track job eventually, I can say, he’ll have a far better job than I hope to get.

Deleted an ad post.

Okay, there will still be plenty on Katrina, but I need to do some Illinois politics.

On what do you want me to write?

ArchPundit and Blog Saint Louis were 3 years old on the 26th….

Thanks to all of my readers.

Slow for the early part of the day, but I have several posts on the way

1) Daley and Patronage
2) Why Edgar May Take a Pass
3) The flipside of The Governor’s issues
4) Summary of Missouri-Iowa-Illinois Big Congressional Races
And more…

Lot’s of campaigns have been contacting me and vice versa. I’m trying to put together some general advice for them. Any campaigns interested, drop me a note at archpundit@yahoo.com. I’m going to send out a general memo on how to work the blogosphere and not just treat it as an ATM (which to my surprise, most campaigns are figuring out on their own). I’ll probably post some of it on here eventually as well.

As a starter though, check out this report that gives some good advice:

The one difference I have on basic strategy is that often a campaign can recruit a volunteer to communicate with blogs and coordinate that with the press operation.

My e-mail is stuffed and generally with stuff I can’t or don’t want to ignore.

So John Fritchey appears to be starting a blog

I’m not on the blogroll? C’mon Amy Allen and Bill are on there–why not me?

(long time readers understand this is fully tongue in cheek as blog roll discussions really annoy me.

More importantly, he needs to change the under construction pic here

On more serious topics, check the blog roll on the left that includes some new blogs including Soap Box Chicago (Ralph is back and we discuss the particular genius of Gordie Ropp there), Happy Hour which is just funny as hell, GOP Illinois and their daily news round-up which is really indispensable, and a ton of Illinois blogs on the expanded list of blogs.

As a note, there are just too damn many Illinois blogs for me to list on the front page anymore so I’d highly recommend checking out those on the explanded blog roll. Amy Allen is included there at Obiter Dictum, Bill Baar a great commenter and blogger on the right, The Elginite–a Dem from a place I lived for a short time, the 10th Congressional District Democratic Blog, a remarkable number of Decatur based blogs, Jill Stanek (only there because so much isn’t Illinois based), Vonster, and a hysterical blog The Truth about RYP.