Well, well, well, talk about a late adopter. Thanks to the mostly direct, Slate-hosted conversation between Andrew Sullivan and Kurt Anderson, I have seen the light. I think. We’ll see. With Media Whores Online and Jerry Pournelle waxing practically on the ritehood to writehood (yowzah!), I’ve seen some good stuff. But the downside is that I’ve been reminded of some things I already know (Chris Matthews is a complete waste of TV time, but freakishly popular nonetheless) and introduced to things I’d rather never lay eyes on again (Ann Coulter, in any form, like this or this). InstaPundit is a riot of methodical intellects at work. I’m not sure yet if it’s liberated zealotry or, to the title of my blog, one more bout of clog, but I’m committed to sticking around long enough to find out.
I questioned my political leanings today, sometime after lunch. Am I a lefty? I’m too sensible and reserved for the shrill Left, but I feel progressive and liberal. Am I a moderate (excuse me, centrist)? Hmmm, isn’t that like being bisexual? No, not for me (although the more sophisticated decision forks centrists face, and their eagerness to face them, are of perennial appeal to me). And I certainly have nothing in common with the right, save some shared economic theory that in execution is never quite what I’d hoped it would be. So, I dip my toes into socialism and fascism and find the waters chilly. Libertarian? Um, no, no matter how many times I read or hear what increased self-governance in the 21st-Century American context amounts to.
Thanks to Jeeves, I stumbled upon the earnest libertarians at self-gov.org, which led to my participating in the World’s Smallest Political Quiz. What fun. In under 60 seconds, all my political self-doubt evaporated. I am, apparently, a left-leaning centrist. And with that, I’m happy to continue with my day.