Real Kato Blog: Poli-Blogging

Political blogging: Too shrill? Not funny enough?

I don't know that bloggers as a group can be categorized into a single political persuasion. Of the bloggers who reveal their politics, it seems that many are largely left-leaning, or perhaps sometimes libertarian. I guess blogging itself is a somewhat libertarian pursuit... free speech, get-your-hands-off-my-blog, you know, that kind of thing. But there are certainly conservative blogs out there too.

Most of my readers probably know that I'm fairly liberal in my thinking, and I'm certainly guilty of posting snarkily liberal blogs here and there. I enjoy reading Arse Poetica and her snark too. And this recent article on Daily Kos made me stand up and cheer.

Every now and then, I'll go and peek at a conservative blog, and it'll make me puke with disagreement. But what I've realized is that bloggers on both the left and right tend to use the same style. We pick and choose to report on things that fit our viewpoints. We exaggerate for effect. We don't always check our facts. As bloggers, outside the mainstream media, this is our right and perhaps even our raison d'etre. But I can't help but think we're not necessarily contributing to rational political discourse in this country.

One thing I do enjoy, though, is seeing politicians on both sides of the aisle get skewered on TV shows like "The Daily Show" or blogs like Wonkette. So that's given me a thought: perhaps the real value in political blogging is to ridicule the ridiculous; to call bullshit when we see it, when the mainstream media is too timid to do so. And that includes stringing up one of our own when appropriate.

So in that light, I have this to say to Hillary Clinton: What on earth were you thinking when you suggested that a new anti-immigration bill would criminalize Jesus?

Here's a few other ways you could work Jesus into your politicking:

- "If John baptized Jesus in a river today, he'd have to worry about mercury poisoning."

- "Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus didn't offer a 'super-size' meal, and neither should the fast-food industry."

- "If Jesus were alive today, he'd probably need Social Security and decent affordable health care."

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