Donklephant Reaches 200,000 Visitors
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Blogging, General Politics…and there was much rejoicing…yeah!
So yes, our not-so humble little site hit a completely arbitrary (yet round) mark sometime yesterday. I don’t know when, but I have to say that I think it’s extremely cool since we’re not even a year into it yet. Yeah for us!
More importantly, the center blogosphere is growing and getting stronger. Blogs like The Moderate Voice inspired and blazed the trail, and now bloggers of all stripes (left moderate, right moderate, always moderate) are popping up all over because they don’t think the status quo is worthy of respect. As Howard Beale would say, “We’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore!!!”
Of course that’s an overly simplistic view, but it does speak to a need for a third way. And moreover, it suggests an exhaustion with the tired partisan rhetoric we’ve been fed year after year after year. And yes, I have certainly been a contributor to this venom in the past. However, I think that centrists need to first fight for politicians who will move more towards a position where they respect the other side. That’s the first step. A next step, if the first doesn’t work, is forming a third way. However, I think the objectives set forth at the National Centrist Meeting, that of supporting centrist candidates of both parties, are the right way to go…for now.
Know that I call on you to continue our fight because it’s a noble one. We seek ideas over ideology and policy over politics. And please, always be vocal and passionate. Let reason guide your words, and let the tired partisan backbiting find no refuge in your arguments.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 17th, 2006 and is filed under Blogging, General Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 17th, 2006 at 12:12 pm
The bad news: 145,000 of those visitors were Michael Hiltzik.
(Doh!)
May 17th, 2006 at 12:34 pm
Seriously, I’m glad to see ol’ Donklephant’s getting traffic. I’ve been a bit concerned of late with some of the trends in tone of the OPs, but I still feel Donklephant has overall street cred as a moderate beacon, and that’s a great thing.
May 17th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
Congratulations!
Quick question - is this considered a “center” site because there are people from both the left and right that post here?
May 17th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
It’s a center site for many reasons, that being one of them. But there are also independents who blog here too. Honestly, I look at it as more of a place where you can say your peace in an environment that fosters genuine debate…well…at least sometimes. :-)
May 17th, 2006 at 5:23 pm
Congrats, Justin … it speaks highly of your stewardship.
May 18th, 2006 at 1:14 am
“The only thing I’ve ever seen in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos.” - unnamed texas democrat, in response to an argument that he wasn’t practicing enough middle of the road politics.
Funny quote but I still like you guys. You run a great site. For the most part I have been drawn to the third way over the last few years. But the third way still has gotten some things seriously wrong - like Iraq and the environment. Another problem the third way has - coming across more as fence-sitters than actually standing for anything. Well, you guys certainly don’t come across as fence sitters so keep up the good work.
May 18th, 2006 at 10:29 am
Less than a year? Hmm, seems longer.
Make of that what you will, because I’m not sure what to make of it.
June 1st, 2006 at 4:53 pm
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